Whitey Morgan and the 78’s stay in their comfort zone on ‘Hard Times and White Lines’

“Hard Times and White Lines,” the latest album from Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, is more of the same from the honky tonk quintet. And that’s just how Morgan wants it.

The album, released in October, features a number of Morgan originals about his “whiskey ways” (“Bourbon and the Blues”), the plight of the working man (“What Am I Supposed to Do”) and relationships that are on the brink of collapse (“Tired of the Rain”) or have already imploded (“Around Here”).

But there are also Morgan’s takes on Z.Z. Top’s “Just Got Paid” and Dale Watson’s “Carryin’ On.”

“If what you are doing is good, and you become comfortable with it, some people would call that complacent,” Morgan told Rolling Stone in November. “But I think it’s not always a bad thing, because it’s who you are. You don’t have to try and reinvent yourself with every record.”

In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“If you don’t like it by now, don’t buy the next record, because it’s going to sound pretty damn close to the same,” he said. “And I’m proud of that.”