Successful Failures – Pack Up Your Shadows

As I understand it, Mick Choba and Successful Failures had intended their latest project to be an EP. Then the pandemic hit, giving them some extra time to put together a few more tracks. The resulting release is arguably the best Americana / roots rock album of 2020.

Pack Up Your Shadow was executed in just a few weeks. As such, it’s rough and immediate not unlike an Old 97’s record. And if Rhett Miller is the king of drinking songs, then Mick Choba is next in line for the throne.  

The album leads off with “Honeycomb”, a catchy little chorus-first number that’s instantly memorable. “On Down the Line” has an instant sing along quality to it, a requirement for any good drinking song.

Every album needs a radio single. In this case, “This Girl” stands out as the track that would have had considerable commercial radio play just a few years ago. It’s got a Stones meets Old 97’s vibe to it that makes it perfect to my ears. Love the lyrics, too.

There’s eight terrific originals here. To top it off, there’s a neat cover of “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It”.  And when you order it through Kool Kat Musik, you get a really cool bonus disk – all 9 tracks performed acoustically, in sequence and live. Cool idea. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.