​Rock and country have always been a lot closer than most people think - and they're both at their best when they're lived hard and played true. Dogkennel Hill takes that premise to heart, and the result is a straightforward, heartfelt album that runs rings around most of what's currently out there.

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​For a band to name its debut effort after one of the seminal country-rock albums of all time would seem, at first, to be a cheeky gesture. But former Quierboys Guy Bailey and Tim Bewlay have put together an album that not only does justice to the title, but it may be the start of yet another country rock revolution. 'Sweet Seraphina' opens the album, and it's true to the band's own assessment of being a cross between The Flying Burrito Brothers (who recorded the original 'Sweetheart') and Desire-era Dylan and a healthy dose of Velvet Underground and Dire Straits tossed in for good measure. It's a two-step waltz that wouldn't be out of place on Dylan's song list, and it's a strong calling card for the band.

Dogkennel Hill combines traditional country elements like Andy Wain's old-school pedal steel guitar and Sarah Denton's facile violin work with more modern touches ('Las Vegas' starts with a loop of John Bonham from 'When The Levee Breaks'), and the result sounds surprisingly modern while hewing close to the ethic of early country music - write a good song, then get some good players to play it like they mean it. Where the Quireboys (and the Stones and Faces before them) would approach a rock song and imbue it with country touches, Bailey and Bewlay work from the other end of the equation this time - they approach the material as country and let the songs rock out in that context, and it works to perfection.

The gem of the album is 'Never Get To Heaven', which appears in two forms on the CD - a ballad that features Wain's lonesome dobro and Bewlay's wonderfully world-weary vocal, and a live version from a 1997 Shepherd's Bush show. While the song works well in its uptempo arrangement, the slower studio version is an absolute heartbreaker. 'Put him Down' is a letter-perfect take on the Velvets' sound - Lou Reed should be flattered. While you can accuse Dogkennel Hill of wearing their influences on their sleeve, you've got to give them credit for writing songs that would stand no matter how they were recorded. Special mention goes to the Dogkennel Hill rhythm section (Dave Tregunna, bass and Simon Hanson, drums) for laying down a solid and steady foundation for all the songs, and keyboardist Chris Johnstone is the best kind of keyboard player for this type of material - his unobtrusive work fills in all the gaps in the sound while letting the steel and violin have room to breathe.

It's interesting to note the differences between Dogkennel Hill's early live recording and the newer studio recording. The early recordings show the songs in broad strokes, while Bailey and Bewlay have clearly paid attention to detail on the later recordings, and their vision is clear. 'Find A Girl' closes the album, and it's a slick mix of Phil Spector and Hank Williams that may not sound so good written out, but the song is a joy.

Sweethearts Of The Rodeo is as solid a debut as I've heard in a while, and Bailey and Bewlay have already proven themselves a formidable writing team. If there's any justice in the world, this album will cut through the noise and Dogkennel Hill wil be recognized as a band that's truly doing something different, if not new.