by Mark Deming1976's T Shirt was Loudon Wainwright III's first album for Arista Records, and marked his third major label deal in six years. With this in mind, T Shirt occasionally sounds as if Wainwright was trying to give the label something that could actually market -- backed by the band Slowtrain, Wainwright pulls off a few credible stabs at rock ?n' roll, such as Bicentennial and California Prison Blues, and even delivers a genuinely funky disco number, At Both Ends. Of course, the minute any radio programmer heard the lyrics to any of these songs, the jig would have been up: Bicentennial is a cynical celebration of America's birthday that pays homage to Jack Ruby and Audie Murphy, while California Prison Blues includes shout-outs to would-be presidential assassin Squeaky Fromme and her friend Charles Manson, and At Both Ends celebrates all manner of sexual and chemical debauchery. Which is to say this is a Loudon Wainwright III album, full of acidly witty tunes whose humor never quite gets in the way of his industrial strength cynicism. Wainwright also embraced his inner drunk on this album, celebrating the joys of booze on Prince Hal's Dirge and the two-part Wine With Dinner (where he's thoughtful enough to name check role models Dean Martin and Foster Brooks), and those who prefer their Wainwright acoustic can content themselves with the old-timey Hollywood Hopeful and the solo Just Like President Thieu. And as if Wainwright figured his fans could use a break from the rancor at the half-way point, side two kicks off with a genuinely joyous tribute to a loyal four-legged friend, Hey Packy. T Shirt isn't as resonant as Wainwright's best music, but it's a better album than its reputation would lead you to expect, and proves he can rock out when he's in the mood, even if it isn't his greatest talent.