Nashville’s Dirty Proper has accumulated a rabid fan base of Dirties over the past four years since the 2007 release of Here to Remind You. There’s reason why: the seven musicians who contributed to last year’s release, Just For Tonight, are all highly skilled instrumentalists who’ve fused blues and soulful pop that drips from country roots. Just For Tonight’s sound is big and the arrangements are old—typical of Dirty Proper—which compensates for the sometimes trite glorification of love and relationships in the lyrics.

Natalie Aulvin’s voice is a strong instrument in and of itself, bearing the bellowing range of The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and the even cool of Natalie Merchant, but mostly the frontwoman keeps her vocals at a very smooth, vanilla tone. When paired with the music, it makes for a sharp contrast to the abrasiveness and buoyancy of the melodies. It’s the lyrics that often, though not always, seem contrived and only scratch the surface of the most common song subjects. It’s better to hear Aulvin lamenting a past love lying in his own hell amid a harmonica’s moan in “Is It Worth Your Love?” than singing of “oceanside walks” in the ultra-feminine lament “Hi You.”

Despite lyrics about love and love lost overly steeped in idealism, the record is rife with a wide variety of rhythms, as well as angry riffs and strong keys (owing to the skill of Andrew Bett) reminiscent of the Heartbreakers. Petty’s blues were made for dancing, and these songs have the same pick-me-up quality, which is likely why they’ve stuck in fans’ ears for so long.