Your initial reaction upon hearing Moonshine Matinee’s The Devil Dare Not Cross may be shock that Moonshine has seemingly cleaned up. The Devil, the follow-up to last year’s Hellbent, Drunk and Young, doesn’t reach the same standard of raucous and raw that its predecessor does. The understated lining of John Rowland’s piano parts in Hellbent have been kicked up to a large-scale and polished level so that on The Devil, Moonshine Matinee sounds more like a countrified version of The Fray.

A “crash boom bang” opens up the record on “Miss Hathaway,” which, with its dizzy keystrokes and kick-stomp rhythm is more ragtime than alt country. It’s a honky-tonk piano jaunt and the band serves it up with zeal. In “Hard to Deal,” the keys are equally as strong and bright, twirling around crashing drums and piercing guitars.

Just as the piano playing has grown to be sophisticated and grandiose, Rowland’s vocals have smoothed and strengthened as well; it’s not the cracked and raw twang found on Hellbent, and Emily Nejad lends a pleasing soulful lilt to accompany him. The melodies, likewise, are soulful and colored with surging blues guitars, but a certain authenticity, or at least a certain image established on the previous album isn’t on this record.

In “Small Time Criminals,” Rowland sings of petty theft and the like, but it’s not quite believable. The first track I can really taste is “Doctor I’m Alright,” which busts out the blues with a hot shrill guitar and slack vocals singing about Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Here’s the thing. The Devil Dare Not Cross is solid. These instrumentalists are talented.  Their record is piano driven and commercial friendly. They just play the rowdy role so much better.