Whether they’re singing about , alcohol, crazy ex-boyfriends, hot rods, death metal guys or the Rural Point of View, there is enough great guitar, balls to the wall riffs, weird humour and alcohol to go around. Which makes them top notch in my books.
Some highlights include “Death Metal Guys’ which compares the lives of rockabilly cats and death metal guys, and the ear bleeding solo of “River Ran Dry.”
The humour comes out on a jazz tinged ‘Please Don’t Take the Baby to the Liquor Store’ and ‘Rural Point of View’ which takes some thinly veiled shots at city folks and their point of view. ‘Oh God Doesn’t in Vegas’ is an entertaining rockabilly romp about gambling addictions. As usual, “Laughin’ and Cryin’’ has an instrumental— a Hawaiian slide flavoured slower number called ‘Spacewalk.”
The old school country influence comes out on “Beer Holder.”
He ends with another humourous number “Just Let Me Hold my Paycheque.” before concluding with another tasty spaghetti western style original.
—By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
CD: Laughin’ and Cryin’band: Reverend Horton Heat
Genre: rockabilly