First, the disc kicks off with a couple of Oberst's country rock ditties. "Slowly (Oh So Slowly)" is a punchy, organ-drenched number in the vein of Music from Big Pink or Being There. It's sunny and enjoyable, but just short of compelling. The moodier "To All the Lights in the Windows" is more distinctly Conor Oberst, emphasizing his tremulous voice and the wordy poetry that has inspired so much critical praise (most of it well earned).

Just as you're dipping into Oberst's groove, though, he recedes into the background and lets his friends have their say. Guitarist Nick Freitas – an indie songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a few albums to his name – delivers a pair of Outer South's tracks. The first, "Big Black Nothing," is actually one of the record's finer cuts, although it would've been better sung by Oberst. Freitas simply isn't as strong a singer, and he sounds too much like Jeff Tweedy here. (Yes, another Wilco comparison; when evaluating this album, these are hard to avoid.) Later on, Freitas turns out a much more potent performance on "Bloodline," a piano-driven, Nick Lowe-like pub rocker that's graceful and catchy at the same time.

Taylor Hollingsworth, who takes a break from his Spider Eaters to lend more guitar to the Mystic Valley Band, contributes Outer South's power pop song, the bouncy Air Mattress, complete with requisite adenoidal tenor. It's another non-Oberst highlight. His other offering is closing track "Snake Hill," a slightly druggy and far less remarkable country dirge.

Let's not forget the star attraction, though. Conor Oberst does have plenty to say here. He's the front man on nine of Outer South's tracks, including the rousing "Cabbage Town," an Americana pop-rocker about a lover with a "foul mouth" and drugs being dealt. Another top Oberst cut is "Nikorette" [sic], an upbeat alt-country tune that demands another Wilco mention, although the guitar melody and lyrical theme of fighting the need for "a fix" both imbue the song with its own distinct personality.

Unfortunately, a good chunk of Outer South lacks such distinction. Drummer Jason Boessel's two contributions -– "Difference Is Time" and "Eagle on a Pole" – are nondescript, sluggish, and not at all helped by his weak vocals. The same holds true for bassist Macey Taylor's lone turn at the microphone, the Oberst-penned "Worldwide," a number that probably wouldn't be much better even if the songwriter had sung it himself. Speaking of whom, Oberst's ponderous, seven-minute-plus "I Got the Reason #2" is part of a three-track, album-ending run that drives the record's already precarious flight path into the ground.

So, everyone who played on this record is responsible for its successes and its failures. By my tally, these two columns just balance out. By means of a tie-breaker, it should be noted that the successful songs are quite enjoyable and some of the tracks deemed as failures aren't all that bad; they're just a bit dull and unnecessary. By sharing top billing with his bandmates, Conor Oberst indulged in an experiment that almost worked, but proved a tad too egalitarian. If there is another record with The Mystic Valley Band – and, with Oberst, one can never guess what will come next – the name at the top of the album cover should take the lion's share of the limelight. On Outer South, the many cooks in Conor Oberst's kitchen have diluted the stew.

Recommended Tracks: "Nikorette," "Cabbage Town," "Big Black Nothing."

Discography:
Bright Eyes: Letting Off the Happiness (1998)
Bright Eyes: Fevers and Mirrors (2000)
Bright Eyes: Lifted of The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002)
Bright Eyes: Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005)
Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005)
Bright Eyes: Motion Sickness: Live Recordings (2005)
Bright Eyes: Noise Floor: Rarities (1998-2005) (2006)
Bright Eyes: Cassadaga (2007)
Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst (2008)
Conor Oberst: Outer South (2009)

-Michael Keefe