In 2013, Mike Stinson is one of the most critically respected alt-country singer/songwriters actively plying his trade. Hell and Half of Georgia is all the evidence a fan of the genre needs to make the case. After 18 years in Southern California, Stinson moved to Houston in 2010—inspiring, among other things, “Died and Gone to Houston”—and appears to have found the right environment for his artistry to flourish. (The song could be used by the city's Chamber of Commerce to lure other alt-country musicians, if no one else.) Produced by R.S. Field (John Prine, Justin Townes Earle), the album features the lively, well-heeled arrangements that Stinson’s songs require. “Box I Take to Work” is a just another day, er, night in the life of a working musician, with a pedal steel guitar that brings the song back home. “Lost Side of Town” admits that even after all the years of hard work, it’s a calling where the returns often aren't those of traditional means and measures.