This is the Supersuckers' singer's fourth solo album and the first one with all the songs written or co-written by Spaghetti. It is also the first to be co-produced with Jesse Dayton, himself a noted artist in his own right. Dayton plays guitars and more with the duo being assisted by the venerable Mickey Raphael, Chris Von Streicher - the current Supersuckers drummer and Alvaro Del Norte on accordion. Anyone familiar with Spaghetti's previous albums will know what to expect with his mix of cow punk and his ingredients of humour and anger fueled by a metal/punk bedrock with a degree of twang and testosterone.
Like Mike Ness of Social Distortion and Mike Herrera's Tumbledown or Nick 13 of Tiger Army Eddie Spaghetti manages to combine his potent mix in a way that is so much more believable that the often embarrassing sub-southern rock that many of the acts emanating can manage to make credible. First off Spaghetti has a distinctive voice, an important assent in any genre. He also doesn't lose sight of the hooks and melodies in his songs. There is a danger that this time the amalgamation might fall between stools but rest assured Eddie Spaghetti arse is firmly rooted on his barstool.
The songs run from the late seventies punk of Fuckin' With My Head to the denouncement People Are Shit and the duet of Dayton and Spaghetti trading lines on the ballad One Man Job or the grounded reality of When I Go, I'm Gone. People Are Shit is given a delightful twist with the Tex-Mex flavours of Del Norte's accordion which belies the somewhat down beat message against the thoroughly uplifting music with Dayton's invasive guitar riff remaining firmly in there memory banks.
All in all I've enjoyed all Spaghetti's solo albums but this may be his best yet and the partnership of Dayton and Spaghetti brings them to a mutual place where Dayton's countrified roots and Spaghetti's punk roots are perfectly entwined to grow their music. The Value Of Nothing is worth a lot to anyone who was energised by late 90's country where Rockpile and Marty Robbins could be equally powerful influences. This Spaghetti is as unwholesome as it is tasty - and that's a good thing.