Reckless Kelly comes out guns a-blazing on Bulletproof, the band's fifth studio album and first on Yep Roc Records.

"Ragged as the Road," "You Don't Have to Stay Forever," and "Love in Her Eyes" kick off a series of radio-friendly numbers with the classic Reckless sound fans love. That sound is the sexy swagger in Willy Braun's lead vocals, great guitar riffs from David Abeyta, and solid rhythm and backing — all wrapped around crowd-pleasing though generally uninspiring lyrics.

And for the first third of the album anyway, the formula seems to be intact. Then "One False Move" gives pause…

At first glance, we're still in this game
There's a desperate chance that hope may still remain
'Til we come to see the error of our ways
We're just one false move away

Is it a song about economic greed? Global warming? International tensions? Or is it just another song about another doomed relationship, this time magnified to a grander scale?

I think the answer lies in the next three even-numbered tracks. "American Blood" takes the White House and Pentagon to task for expending American lives in an oil-soaked war. "God Forsaken Town," written with Robert Earl Keen, reflects upon the plight of those displaced by Hurrican Katrina. And falling in between, "Mirage" is, like "One False Move," something of a mystery; but I think it questions Christianity through the parable of a weary traveler grasping at visions of salvation:

Standing I was blinded by God's golden water
My savior was but a façade
Hand sifting sand from a pool full of promise
My oasis was just a mirage

Regardless of just what "One False Move" and "Mirage" really mean, what's clear is that Reckless Kelly has something to say. If you don't want message songs, there's still plenty of ear candy here. But listen closely and I think you'll hear a newly awakened social consciousness from a collective voice that finds comfort straying from tried-and-true narratives.

These guys have been one of my favorite bands for years, based on sound alone. Now they seem to be emerging into a complete package, I'm finding even more to love.

Listen:

"Ragged as the Road"

"Love in Her Eyes"

"American Blood"

"Mirage"

Buy:

Lone Star Music, Amazon, iTunes

Austin prides itself on being a mecca for musicians. But with its average cost of living the highest among the state's 10 largest cities, the Live Music Capital of the World isn't always a great place to live.

The City of Austin has commissioned its new Live Music Task Force to explore ways to make the city a more attractive and affordable home:

Currently, Austin public officials are trying to create more affordable housing throughout the community. The City has some limited resources to provide business loans to bands and music businesses, and the City also lends a financial hand to private organizations like the Austin Music Foundation. In the future the City could serve as a center for providing information and help on many issues, including where to find affordable housing, low cost health insurance and health care, job training, studio space and equipment, education loans, business loans, legal help, business advice, tax help, cheap transportation, etc. This short list could be expanded and firmed up if we receive enough information about the needs of musicians, employees in music venues, employees in record stores, composers, booking agents, venue owners, and others involved in supporting the creative arts who are challenged by rising costs of living in Austin. Our aim is to collect information on both needs and priorities in the community while we assess what resources the City can bring to solve problems and help folks.

You can help the committee with its research and recommendations by completing an online survey, available until June 30.

The 10 largest Texas cities, arranged by rankings in the composite cost of living index:

• Austin — 96.14
• Plano — 94.86
• Dallas — 92.94
• Houston — 85.75
• El Paso — 80.03
• Arlington — 78.75
• Fort Worth — 78.03
• Garland — 77.86
• San Antonio — 75.20
• Corpus Christi — 75.05

In the cost of living index, 100 equals the U.S. average. So all major Texas cities are below the national average; but, for comparison, Nashville's 89.48 is still well below Austin.

The composite index takes into account average costs for housing, food, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. Official cost of living data is maintained by the Council for Community and Economic Research; but as that is a paid service, I extrapolated the data referenced above from the free Sperling's BestPlaces database.

In the wake of the New York Times' sensational Jayson Blair fiasco, there was a spate of plagiarism revelations in the national media several years ago. With more newspapers adopting review boards and tightening attribution policies, plus some major publications creating ombudsman roles, large-scale plagiarism accusations seemed to fade away.

And then this spring, a White House aide was forced to resign after admitting to plagiarazing a series of columns published in his hometown Indiana newspaper. Though not plagiarism, there also were the amusing tales of a Lonely Planet author who confessed that, among other journalistic sins, he'd updated Colombia's guidebook without ever visiting the country.

A journalism scandal hit the local music community last week, when the San Antonio Express-News announced long-time columnist Ramiro Burr resigned after the paper learned he had used a ghostwriter for "more than 100 stories and columns" between 2001 and 2003.

On his own blog, Burr defends his actions as typical for a syndicated columnist — likening his format to Dear Abby and Ann Landers among others — and says he stopped using the ghostwriter immediately following a change in editorial guidance.

A number of bloggers dispute his claims of innocence. And the writer who brought the issue to light is also having to defend himself in some circles.

Though rooted in the Express-News, Burr's column also ran in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and other in-state markets. He'll continue to write about the Latin and local music scenes at ramiroburr.com.