Underneath the Same Moon

Big & Rich’s songwriting powerhouse John Rich recorded this solo debut in 1999 after leaving pedestrian radio twangers Lonestar, but his label quashed it. Here’s what we missed: 11 songs (some since recycled) mixing modern country tradition/cliché with ’80s big-hair pop-rock and ballads. Flashes of his current group’s eclecticism — which must have been what scared the suits back then — help Underneath the Same Moon transcend the average. But not often enough.