Pete Dio is a musical whirlwind. The guy does not take a break from the creative process, whether it’s with his outlaw country outfit Pete Dio and The Old & Dirty or the doomy hardcore project Snakehandler Church. Or probably something new he’s cooking up that we’ll hear about sooner rather than later. The man never rests (or sleeps, apparently). 

Dio is a guy that gets things done and gets ’em done right. And when he’s donning an acoustic guitar onstage or in the recording studio, he locks into the dusty jangle of classic country. Not that Auto-Tuned stuff they hand awards out for at the CMTs or what those in the know refer to as “new country,” but the kind of country that plays for keeps. Hard-earned tales, rusty twang, and dust in your mouth after the song’s done.

With one single out (the excellent “Temptation Is”), Pete Dio and The Old & Dirty are ready to release their latest LP, Hoosier Honky Tonk. A follow-up to 2021’s Y’all Trying To Kill Me, Hoosier Honky Tonk picks up where its predecessor left off, but with a little more funk. 

“Ain’t Never Done” slaps back in the best way possible. Plenty of steel string guitar and juke joint attitude, but with a touch of Memphis soul in a prominent walking bass line that keeps you locked in the whole time. And the line “Judas Priest, you got another thing coming” is the chef’s kiss. “Start Over Again” is a sweet little acoustic ballad that toes the line between George Jones and alt-country stalwarts Whiskeytown. Both the loved and lovelorn will find much to love. Tears in beers not required. 

Elsewhere there’s that driving first single “Temptation Is,” a rollicking barnstormer that could easily be some gunslinger’s theme music. The background vocals add a touch of melodrama which only adds the to song’s urgency as it straddles classic country and ’70s FM rockers. 

“So Long Good Luck and Goodbye” closes out this chapter in The Old & Dirty tale, filled with a boot-clickin’ rhythm section, Dio’s commanding tenor, and enough twang and jangle to get the most rhythm-absent listener tapping their toes. 

Pete Dio and The Old & Dirty prove the Midwest is prime real estate for country and jangle. Hoosier Honky Tonk is proof of that.