HANK WILLIAMS III

“Straight to Hell”

3 STARS

(Bruc)

IF you’ve ever seen Shelton “Hank III” Williams, in concert, you know he’s a twanger torn between his honky-tonk heritage and a personal preference for punk and metal. To appease both his inner Jekyll and Hyde, the grandson of country legend Hank Williams has cranked out a low-tech double album that, in the parlance of a far squarer duo, is a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.

The first disc is filled with countrified roots rock, while the second begins with a relatively brief “Louisiana Stripes,” followed by 40 minutes of thrashing, rapid-fire guitars and drums that somehow weaves in a cover of Grandpa’s “I Could Never Be Ashamed of You.”

Hank III describes the release like this: “One disc is done right, the other’s done wrong.” When you’re “Going Straight to Hell,” wrong is usually right.

Download this: “Dick in Dixie,” a Nashville-hater’s outlaw ode.

dan.aquilante@nypost.com

ELVIS COSTELLO

3 STARS

“My Flame Burns Blue” (Deutsche Grammophon)

Songs for voice and orchestra are the core of “My Flame Burns Blue.” Recording live, Elvis moves into a jazzy place, rejiggering favorites “Clubland” and “Almost Blue.” Plus, you get Costello’s classical gas, the “Il Sogno” suite.

Download: A swinging “Watching the Detectives”

WHY?

3 ½ STARS

“Elephant Eyelash” (Anitcon)

underground rock surfaces with “Elephant Eyelash,” a disc of psychedelic folk-pop by the skilled, but mostly unknown Why?. Stream-of-consciousness stoner lyrics hooked to simple, lush melodies make this worth a visit to anticon.com.

Download: “Crushed Bones,” about sex and drugs

KID ROCK

2 STARS

“Live Trucker” (Atlantic)

KID ROCK is cocky, but his first live CD reveals that Mr. Badass is just a braggart. Hits like arena anthem “Bawitdaba” and weepy ballad “Only God Knows Why” just sound sloppy and pale next to the studio work that made him an outlaw icon.

Download: “Cowboy,” a funky hick-pop rap