10.22.04 Metro Pulse Stephen Simmons | Last Call There’s an old joke that goes: What do you get when you play a country song backwards? You get your wife back, your kids back, your job back, and so on. In the grand tradition of Nashville crooners, Stephen Simmons sings about loss in its many forms; lost love, lost youth, and often, lost sobriety. But he cradles the melancholy lyrics in a voice that’s as sweet and dark as molasses. Though less twangy than many of his Nashville contemporaries, Simmons is firmly anchored in alt-country with plinking acoustic guitars, singing fiddles and harmonica, and even the occasional dobro cameo.