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Honky Tonk Disciples "Kickin' Up Dust"
by Jay Johnson |
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Texas’ border long ago lost its ability to contain honky tonk music and the October 24th release of Kickin’ Up Dust by the Honky Tonk Disciples, of Hammond, Louisiana, is further attestation to that fact. Front man Michael Howes, a self-proclaimed huge Gram Parsons fan, maintains that “country music is best when performed by rock players.” He cites the Rolling Stones’ “Sweet Virginia” to substantiate his assertion, but one can go further back in time to augment his claim. Jerry Lee Lewis, who, coincidentally, also hails from Louisiana, is another rock player that’s turned out some pretty good country music, and his unmistakable influence can be heard on track ten, “Shake It Off.” What kind of music is this? Is it alt-country? Americana? Roots? Cajun? It’s all kinds. All kinds of good! The first song, “When I Drink I Cheat,” evoked a rather tepid response with its near mainstream sound and timeworn lyrics about booze and infidelity. However, the strong guitar playing and nice fiddle work caused me to stick with this CD and I’m glad I did. On track two, “Too Late For Me,” the influence of the producer, legendary Georgia Satellites front man and Yayhoos member Dan Baird, becomes evident. The song’s driving tempo is reminiscent of vintage Georgia Satellites and the great bass and low-end guitar work is evocative of a honky tonk Duane Eddy. “Lonely Town” is earmarked by frenetic, freight train-like drumming and lyrics that speak to how loneliness can make it hard to listen to Waylon sing ramblin’ songs, Patsy sing love songs or Willie sing hurtin’ songs. “Pill Poppin’, Pistol Packin’ Woman,” with brazen lyrics about a mama thinkin’ her son’s girlfriend is easy and a daddy warnin’ “I ain’t the first,” allows a peek into the “long and loud” nights of a dysfunctional, countrified Sid and Nancy. A great, catchy opening guitar lick is the footer to a great song and “Dry County Blues” has one that can stand proud alongside the likes of some that the great Bill Kirchen has laid down. The opening lick draws you in and the captivating guitar breaks keep you there. The midway point brings the first song that can be characterized as a ballad, “Someday.” Some skilled fiddle work is on display as are Michael Howes’ vocals. Kickin’ Up Dust repeatedly reveals that Mr. Howes is a damn good honky tonk singer. “Big City Lights” picks up the tempo and lays down the beat on a Georgia Satellites “coulda been” song that proves unequivocally that this is a honky tonk band capable of firing on all cylinders. These are polished, professional musicians, not of the garage player variety. There is a distinct difference between alt-country and traditional country that’s epitomized on “Truckstop Girl.” Alt-country speaks forthrightly and directly to topics, such as sleazy, trashy truck stop girls, that traditional country leaves to innuendo. The strong, textured vocals make this a song all of us closet Jerry Springer watchers have to love! I absolutely love the bass playing on “What’s That Say About Love” which has a swing sound that’s a testament to the Honky Tonk Disciples’ musical diversity. “Shake It Off” flat out rocks. It rocks the honky tonk, ice-house, juke joint or dive beer joint, as the case may be, and I don’t know which sounds greasier- the wailin’ harmonica or the dirty guitar. The song moves at a pace that would have challenged The Killer in his prime. “Hellbent” is a rollicking chain gang song that’s played with the same ferocity and aplomb as the disk’s other rockers. It’s the ferocity that makes it easy to envision someone along the lines of Hank III singing it. The disk’s finale, “Hard As Hell,” features some nice acoustic guitar strumming and lyrically proves again that the inequality of the sexes remains as pervasive as ever in honky tonk music. Because, ya know, us men are gonna continue actin’ like asses and you women should just keep on acceptin’ and lovin’ us… Visit their website at http://www.honkytonkdisciples.com/ for more on this group or their MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/honkytonkdisciples Jay Johnson, November 2006 Email Jay about this review |
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