Chris Rattie blends country’s aching ethos with a keen eye for the future. He rises out of the muck and mire to be one of today’s most riveting, astute storytellers. The singer, songwriter and musician wraps his Steve Earle-wrinkled voice around tales of self-realization and wonder on his latest album. Porch (released Sept. 15) is steeped in frothy Americana, burnt around the edges with electric guitar and honest, godforsaken songwriting. “I’ve been out all night long singing these heartbroke songs. Ain’t nobody listening,” he sings on “A Little Shot Glass from Spain.” Later, he pontificates “Country Boy” tropes, fed with a provocative spoken word intro. “Country boy drives a big red truck. Loves rolling coal, it makes him feel real tough. Rebel flag stuck on the back,” he wails over smokey guitar lines and a honky-tonk rumble.    Porch is as much a masterful creative accomplishment as it is a raw recollection of his tireless journey to get there, the culmination of years of blood, sweat and tears. A native to central Pennsylvania, he cut his teeth as drummer for Vince Welnick of The Tubes and The Grateful Dead, drummer and prominent songwriter in The Rustlanders (whose second album was helmed by producer Don Was and recorded in L.A.’s East West Studios), and vocals/drums/guitar in rock band Marah. The experiences wrought invaluable wisdom, bestowing upon him the exact skills he needed to write, record and play the album he was always destined to make. Through nine coarsely-delivered, poignant tracks, Rattie defies convention and situates himself as transcendent.