You can only push a man so far and then he starts writing music about it. Kevin Post knows the highs of being on stage in front of thousands of fans and the lows of a personal life in turmoil, and taps into both on the debut album from The K'Po Blues Band, Downside.The San Antonio native was a veteran of South Texas honky-tonks and Austin club scene when he moved to Nashville in 1994, and within a year was touring as a steel guitar and slide guitar player for then-newcomer Terri Clark.

But the success he began to find as a musician didn't always translate into his personal life, especially when he tried to merge the two. 'I fell for wrong girl while on tour,' Kevin says. 'We got married, and I start writing crappy love songs. Turns out I'm not too good at those or as it also turns out, marriage.' As a member and eventual leader of Clark's band, Post tours with the likes of George Strait, Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn, but the married lifedoesn't get any easier. 'I found myself wanting to write songs about love gone wrong, because I've got plenty of material,' Kevin says. 'After five long years, we call it quits, and thanks to circumstance and a love of the blues, lo and behold, I've got the makin's of some pretty good blues tunes.'

Songs like the driving title track, the post-prison lament Stealin' Is All I Know, the Lovett-esque She Loves To Win, and the decidedly funky You Is His Problem Now line up right alongside standards like The Thrill Is Gone, She Caught The Katy And Left Me A Mule To Ride, and an emotional rendition ofAmerica The Beautiful. Post wrings the sweat of everyday life out of every song, with the help of world-class musicians such as keyboardist ReeseWynans, drummer Chuck Fields and bassists Keith Horne and Jeff Ross.

And as far as the name of his band goes, if you think the inspiration comes from two places, you're right. 'Yeah, it's my JLo name, a nickname I acquired from my touring friends, so don't be fooled by the rocks dat I got,' Kevin laughs. 'But it's also from the guitar accessory the capo. You pull that out when you want to change things around a bit. This music has helped change me around a bit, so why not name the band after it?'