The Bughouse Five, based in Vancouver, Canada, plays a muscular brand of roadhouse rock. They play mostly in the Vancouver area, but have been known to tour up and down the West Coast. They're part of a stable of roots-rocking acts on Vancouver's Northern Electric label.

24 Hour Charlie is an album in the '60s and '70s tradition of classic rockers like the Rolling Stones, Creedence, Faces, even Them, with an occasional foray into Springsteen-like heartland rock. Its 10 songs touch all the best bar-bands' stylistic bases. Those songs are all composed by frontman Butch Murphy, who sings them in his husky and expressive voice.

The opening title track is a slow bluesy ballad that builds to an anthemic rock chorus, then back down and back up a couple of times. Like a lot of these songs, it's peopled by guys who have reached "the end of the line." Romantic disillusionment features prominently as a theme, including the second track, titled "Walt Whitman." This is my favorite song on the disc, with its twangy surf guitar and simmering organ over a rocking beat. "You ain't no Walt Whitman," the singer tells the object of his disillusionment, contrasting her heartless behavior with that of the famous poet, who refused to carry a gun and would write letters home for dying Civil War soldiers.

Another winner is "Pharmaceutical Song," an homage to the "sleepy little blue one" in the singer's pocket. "I sure will miss you when you're gone," he croons. "Reggie Leach" is a straight rocker, very Springsteen-esque, about the betrayal of friendship: "Friendship is grand, sometimes it's sad / when friendship and lies go hand-in-hand." "Poor Man's Holiday" is a slow number, with some hints of early Van Morrison and maybe some "Beast of Burden." "Black Eyed Dawn" is a sweet, sad honky-tonk blues, while "Poetry Girl," a mid-tempo shuffle, is distinctly Exile-era Stones.

"Not Too Late" holds out hope for some more upbeat sentiments about love, but a close listen to the lyrics reveal more disappointment -- the singer's pleading for a second chance when he sees his former girlfriend on the bus: "This time it was you and you're the one who turned away..." Well, nice try, guy!

If there's any doubt about Bughouse's touchstones, there's an explicit riff on "Ruby Tuesday" in the final track, "Bricks & Stone."

Murphy's musical vision is realized with help from Joe Rotundo on lead guitar, Mike Kenney on organ, with Kevin Grant on bass and Taylor Little on drums setting the bottom end and rhythm. These guys have been around the bend together, and it shows in their tight, cohesive playing. This is a solid album of twangy, rootsy rock.