New York's Del-Lords are one of the most honorable bands in America. They champion working-class values at a time when David Coverdale's fake Zeppelin-rip-off aristocracy is all the rage. More important, the struggling band risked going broke when it turned down a lucrative beer-company sponsorship deal. If these guys sound righteous at turns, they've got a right to.

Unlike most honorable bands, the Del-Lords are also terrific. Singer-guitarist Scott Kempner, who writes most of the band's songs, has a forceful, trenchant vision of right and wrong, based in deep Sixties-rock roots, that simply barrels through any reservations. On the Del-Lords' last album, 1986's forthright Johnny Comes Marching Home, bassist Manny Caiati, drummer Frank Funaro and guitarist Eric Ambel were unwavering in their support of Kempner's embittered-yet-hopeful tales of romantic love and love for music.

Based on a True Story (their third album) is just a tad less sustained than Johnny Comes Marching Home, but the Del-Lords remain steadfast, direct and capable. In producer Neil Geraldo, they have found an unlikely but ideal collaborator. As on their last album, Geraldo refines the band until there's not even a hint of an extraneous moment, yet still ensures that the songs have enough room to breathe. It's hard to pick out one track, but the strongest one here is "Crawl in Bed," a raucous statement of purpose from a band that doesn't need any corporation's approval to flourish. (RS 525)

JIMMY GUTERMAN