When Milwaukees' guitarist Jeff Norstedt told me that since I liked fellow Jersey musician Ted Leo that I should check out The Milwaukees' upcoming CD, American Anthems Vol. 1, I downloaded a couple of the advance tracks figuring I'd give them a cursory listen. I was completely blown away. The Milwaukees are a rarity in the modern music scene, a genuine rock and roll band. American Anthems is the band's latest, and easily one of the best records of the year.

Being known as one of the best live bands in Jersey brings up the inevitable comparisons to The E Street band, but while the Milwaukees may show some of the influence of The Boss, they are far too good to be any kind of imitation. This is a great sounding, straight-up rock album, eschewing any kind of preachy wordplay or faddish message-driven lyrics.

The CD starts off with two powerhouse rockers, the driving "Moonshaker" and "The Breakup Song," an earnest ode to toxic relationships. In a perfect world, the third track, "Highway to the Sun," would be a radio staple complete with catchy chorus, great hooks, and flawless production. In fact the self-produced CD sounds better than many major label releases. There's an attention to detail that says a lot about the way the band feels about the music, and their fans. Other strong tracks are "Save Me" and "Oak Ridge," the latter one a nostalgic yearning for the town you can never go back to.

"Crown Royal" is not only the best of the three ballads (the serviceable "American Girl" and melodic closer "Marigold" are the other two), but it may be the best song on the CD. It's the album's emotional core, eschewing traditional ballad structure for a pleading earnest reality. Vocalist Dylan St. Clark (a rock n' roll name if there ever was one) lays it all out, singing far above the music and out of the pocket. When he belts out the lines "Even if you come crawling back on your hands/Begging me to give you a second chance," it's a perfect, spine-tingling marriage of lyrics, vocals, and music. You believe every word he sings.

Throughout the tracks, drummer Patrick Fusco and bassist Donovan Cain keep a tight rhythm section going. The beats are simple but never dull. There are classic guitar licks galore, and a songwriter's sense of lyrics and phrasing. In short, American Anthems, Vol. 1 is the must-have CD of 2007.