03.11.06 The Nashville Scene STEPHEN SIMMONS / Drink Ring Jesus Simmons’ second album strips away the clangy roots-rock of his attention-getting debut. This time out, he focuses primarily on solo acoustic guitar and his deep, resonant voice, which alternates between a dryly sardonic tone and the clear, unfettered directness of a midnight confessional. Drink Ring Jesus, the title of his new collection, sums up the yin-yang of his subject matter; his songs lay bare the struggle of moral men fighting with fever dreams and the pull of alcohol and other personal demons. He’s a first-rate storyteller whose experience seems beyond his young years, and he’s already building the kind of catalog that will carry him for the long haul. – Michael McCall