Looking for a fairly specific/narrow kind of country-rock...

I totally get your hatred of such wimp-ass horseshit.
But are you opposed to Nashville stuff that kicks way harder than that Drive By Truckers album or Ween? If not, I can recommmend all sorts of stuff.

If so, you still might want to check out the Cactus Brothers. And Dale Watson. And Hammerlock. And Jason and the Scorchers (well, that's slightly older than "last couple decades," but close). And Hammerlock. And Kentucky Headhunters, maybe. And Flynnville Train, maybe. And lots of other things.

Try the Bloodshot label. Also, select Hank Williams III.

Only select Hank III if you like morons who can't sing and have no songs, actually. (And even if you do like such morons, Antiseen are a lot better.)

Also, two words: Shooter. Jennings.

I kinda like that recent Oakley Hall album

I totally get your hatred of such wimp-ass horseshit.
But are you opposed to Nashville stuff that kicks way harder than that Drive By Truckers album or Ween? If not, I can recommmend all sorts of stuff.

No, I'm totally into some of that stuff. It's just mostly the wimp-ass horseshit, like you said, that I can't stand. I'll check out some of those groups you already mentioned - I know Jason and the Scorchers, but I'm not familiar with the others.

Honestly, if you like rock music, pretty much any Montgomery Gentry album should kick your ass. (If you don't like rock music, never mind.)

Best one, fwiw (and one the decade's best albums): Carrying On.

And give Shania Twain's Come On Over a try. It's Def Lep in country drag. Definitely not wimp-ass horseshit. Pick to click for you would be "Rock This Country!" (exclamation mark in original).

Also: ZZ Top, Mescalero (2003.)

And btw, there are much more rocking Drive By Truckers albums; start with Southern Rock Opera and work backwards, or maybe one album forwards.

For many, many more, seriously: Check out pretty much any of the ILM rolling country threads. There's all kinds of stuff you'd like on those, I promise.

another real good one:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/electricboogie

Porter Hall, Tennessee

(exclamation mark in original).

-- Kevin John Bozelka,

I think she puts an exclamation mark in every! fucking! song! It's like a trademark, I guess!

Exene's first Original Sinners album is a start-to-finish blaze of C&W wordplay and thrashy semi-hollows. The second one ain't much, but the first one is my favorite X side project.

In the process of checking some of these out, but stupidly forgot to mention Lee Hazlewood. I know he's older than what I was looking for, but a good reference point.

D. Charles Speer is my favorite of this ilk currently making the musical records.

stuff it seems to me would appeal to dbt fans. (but who knows?)

the bottle rockets -- brooklyn side
steve earle -- get one of those compilations of his pre-jail years, like this one; post-jail, get train a comin (acoustic, but rocks) or i feel alright. or el corazon, which has the supersuckers on one song.
kasey chambers -- the captain (i have a great weakness for her voice, but really you could make a good country-rock album out of the best bits of her first 2 records)
scott miller & the commonwealth -- thus always to tyrants (some of it's country-folk, some of it's rave-up rock, some sounds like neil young. see also his records with the v-roys)
fred eaglesmith -- lipstick, lies and gasoline (his good stuff is really scattered through all his records, but this one's my favorite)

xpost: i like the d. charles speer songs i've heard, and i especially the production. all that reverb, and a big low-end. production is where even the alt-country stuff i like tends to fall down.

i especially like the production, that is.

the 2nd d charles speer record is better recorded/sounds better. all of the records i've heard that were recorded at Black Dirt sound really good, actually.

Accidentally discovered Hammerlock over the weekend. This kicks ass!