Happy Doing What We're Doing finds the usually alt-countrified Elizabeth McQueen and her Firebrands taking a detour into British pub rock. They've created an album of cover songs originally done by heroes with names like Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. They even pay respects to Austin's own Fabulous Thunderbirds, whom McQueen hybridizes with Rockpile on a cover both bands did, "You Ain't Nothin' But Fine" (we know this because of McQueen's fine liner notes. Half the time, this works; the cover of Squeezes "Annie Get Your Gun" is especially sweet, and "Almost Blue' would make Costello proud. And McQueen's one original fits right in. All that said happy Doing What We're Doing might have been stronger with less songs; it eventually wears thin. But one look at that too-damned-cute cover, and you have to forgive McQueen for overindulging. She looks likes she's having too much fun. Undoubtedly, she was.

-- Lynne Margolis