A Tale of Two Countries

Old country, new country. Take your pick this weekend. But be careful how you choose. The Sadies, a Canadian foursome who’ve been kicking around for the last few years, sound like they’ve been around for decades, integrating everything from Western swing to rockabilly to surf in that annoyingly effortless way Canucks seem to have with American music. Tremendous Efforts (Bloodshot), their latest plastic circle, never quite gets beyond paying tribute, though the band’s enthusiastic readings breathe new life into sounds too good to be moldering on the shelf. On stage, that passion comes across in spades.

Rodney Crowell, on the other hand, has been around for decades, but on The Houston Kid (Sugar Hill), the veteran Nashville maverick makes it all sound new again. He lashes out in "U Don’t Know How Much I Hate U," which comes off like a less craven Wallflowers, and recalls his youth in "I Walk the Line (Revisited)," featuring vocal assistance from Crowell’s ex-father-in-law Johnny Cash. Truth be told, Crowell’s always been too restless to be confined by genre; sounding like the "hot country" records he produced with Roseanne Cash in the 1980s (and featuring guitar whiz Steuart Smith), The Houston Kid has the energy of a youngster who’s just blown into town and wants to make his mark, and the self-assurance of an artist who knows he’s done what he needs to do.

—Sam Adams

The Sadies will perform on Fri., May 4, with Jim & Jennie & the Pine Tops, Fred’s Mobile Home and John Train, at the North Star Bar, 27th and Poplar Sts., 215-684-0808, www.northstarbar.com, $8. Rodney Crowell will perform on Sun., May 6 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., with Mark Erelli at the Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770, www.tinangel.com, $22.