"One of the best country soul/southern rock crossover bands, the Aces featured the vocal talents of Russell Smith (as distinctive a voice as you could ever hope for) and pianist James Hooker (who later became Nanci Griffith's bandleader and arranger). Although they have more than their fair share of super-goofy '70s moments, they also had plenty of solid, fabulously well-produced tunes. Their big Top 40 hit was "Third Rate Romance," with a singalong chorus that's still as catchy today as it was in '75. But there are plenty of other goodies in their catalog, particularly "Typical American Boy," one of the great dopey redneck ballads of all time."