'Caffeine' a new kind of country

Lord knows I'm going to get myself home" Elliot Randall sings on the title track of his new album, "Caffeine and Gasoline." Wait, didn't he just get here?

Randall's second album mixes roots rock, folk-rock ballads, and traditional country music to create accessible tracks that anybody can enjoy.

If the goal of a songwriter is to create a song that sounds familiar even though you've never heard it before, Randall is an overachiever. He accomplishes this goal on almost every song. After just a few bars, this album has the listener humming along.

At just twenty-seven years old, Randall can sound as grizzled and world-weary as Bad Blake, the fictional singer-songwriter played by Jeff Bridges in the recent film "Crazy Heart." On the song "Too Lucky, Too Long," Randall laments that he is "stuck between the man I seem and the man I used to be."

The album starts with the rollicking, hook-laden title track, narrated in the first-person by a restless protagonist with a bad case of wanderlust. Randall follows it up with a hodgepodge of songs; some up-tempo rockers and others best listened to at 3 a.m. on Sunday after a bad breakup.

Other notable songs include the instantly hum-able "Chasing My Tail" and slow jam "Getting My Nerve Up." However, the repetitive "Red Velvet Curtains," in which Randall sings about his "houseplants by the window," may have been thrown in to fill up the album.

Comparisons can be misleading when it comes to music, but after listening to the album a few times, this reviewer couldn't help but think of other eclectic singer-songwriters based in the tradition of country music.

Steve Earle, in particular, often disregards the trappings of his genre and creates music that appeals to a wide audience. Despite a few similarities to Earle and others, Randall's music does not sound contrived or derivative at all. In fact, it blends multiple influences from the country, rock and roots genres and creates something entirely new.

Let's hope this is just the beginning for the San Francisco-based singer-songwriter. Randall, who spent his childhood in the South, has a lot to teach the Bay Area about how enjoyable country music can be if you ignore the stereotypes and search past members of the Cyrus family. Randall should shelve that cup of coffee and canister of unleaded, put up his feet, and stay awhile.