Insert this album into your computer, and iTunes will throw a hissy fit.

After all, how can any one band include Acid House with Blues, Country and Gospel as the genres to one album?

Neither American nor a trio, Alabama 3 are probably most widely known for their track Woke Up This Morning, which has been gracing TV screens for the last 8 years as the theme to The Sopranos.

Despite their reasonable obscurity in the UK, M.O.R is the band’s sixth studio album, following up 2005’s Outlaw.

The album begins in typical, almost confusing fashion. Check-In is an 80 second pre-flight speech; “I’m your Captain DW Love./ We’ll be flying to the outer rings of Saturn/ and flying at an altitude of… I…don’t…know.”

Imagine an English Johnny Cash and you’ve got the vocals pretty damn spot on.

A3’s introduction to their album scores points where most bands fail; it actually leads nicely into the rest of the album, with an almost seamless transition into Fly.

Lulling us into the album gently, Fly is a solid blues effort. Think harmonies, and mellow 50’s blues and you’re on the right track. The one downside of the track is the constant this is your captain speaking which crops up seemingly every 15 seconds, probably aiming for quirky, A3 have just managed to create an annoyance in an otherwise flawless track.

Single Lockdown blends together a mixture of qualities. Opening with fizzing synths before kicking into a near-country chorus, the track builds to a bit of an epic close. Some nice male/female contrasting harmonies, key changes and trumpets all fire us nicely into the next track.

It’s here that he album finally gets the kick-off it needs, with the amazing Monday Don’t Mean Anything to Me. Gruff vocals over some sugary-sweet electro beats that any Sega Megadrive platform game would be proud of… it’s almost obnoxiously catchy. 

And of course. Any band that can get Big Fish/Little Fish/Cardboard Box into an already-amazing song deserve brownie points

In contrast, A3’s cover of Amos Moses bears more resemblance to a Bob Dylan or early Rolling Stones track. It’s not just the vocals, or even musical elements that lean in that way - although the culmination of half a dozen vocalists and some brilliant rhythm guitar results in a chorus that either acts would’ve been proud of.

No, it is, in fact, the production that houses the track neatly alongside 1960’s café-houses in mid-America. Gone are the clean-cut edits of the rest of the album, and in its place rests something beautifully rustic.

Are You a Souljah? featuring Nam & Rev. B Atwell is a great contrast to the previous track, starting out with the Reverend’s cracking Martin Luther King-inspired speech.

The track sees a return to the earlier synthesized backings and gruff vocals. A sweet twist half way through occurs with the introduction of Devlin Love’s soft and girlie vocals once again, but sadly Ham’s guest appearance seems really out of place. It’s almost like too many different genres are being crammed into one song.

Similarly, following track Klan drags rather a lot, and is the low point of an otherwise solid album. It’s somewhat baffling as to why the band chose to cover this track. Repetitive to the point of annoying, “stand by me/come on and stand by me/stand by me” continues for far too long. MC Pablo’s guest appearance in the closing moments of the track, again, seems really out of place.

However, the mood of the album is rescued with Hooked, as we witness the first real appearance of Alabama 3’s gospel qualities on M.O.R. A fairly epic chorus resting alongside gravely vocals, it’s another highlight. Unfortunately, it’s the only real track where these talents are showcased.

Middle of the Road, sadly, does exactly what it says on the tin. Acoustic guitars and crooning about “drinking dry martini’s with desperados…” it’s very much a take-it-or-leave-it track. It could be something much better, but as it stands, it plays like a poor Eagles tribute. 

Work It (All Night Long), however, shows the acid-fuelled roots of A3; it’s just one great long trip. Electro beats, obscure samples, and nearly hypnotic vocals… if it wasn’t so awesome, it’d be unnerving.

Fans of older material may be puzzled as to how an electro-loving, predominantly male band can bash out a song like Holy Blood.  Opening with soft, feminine vocals over nothing more than a lone, intricate piano, it’s almost like listening to a different artist when compared to earlier album tracks. But the fact that it works just shows how versatile a band Alabama 3 are.

As the album is brought to a close, Sweet Joy lifts the album back up to what fans will have come to expect. Harmonicas, kick-ass chorus, drums, and a guest appearance from The Proclaimers means that the album closes on a high.

It’s not as epic as previous albums, but their sixth release has shown that they’re more than just a HBO soundtrack band.