A-ha! I managed to get to three reviews this
week after all, thanks to a lot of time spent wandering town yesterday doing Christmas
shopping.
Note that I only listened to music between
stores and never when actually shopping; Rule #4 was strictly adhered to throughout.
Disc 1325 is… Straight To Hell
Artist:
Hank Williams III
Year of Release: 2006
What’s up with the
Cover?
Three rusty railroad spikes are a harbinger of this record’s rough and abrasive
contents. It is also a reminder that the Williams family wasn’t terribly
creative when it came to naming the boys in their family.
How I Came to Know
It: A coworker introduced me to
Hank Williams III back in 2000. When this album came out in 2006 I was already
hooked.
How It Stacks Up: I have six Hank III albums and “Straight to
Hell” is the best of the bunch - #1!
Ratings: 4 stars
Hank Williams really doesn’t give a shit if he
offends you. If you can live with that reality, then “Straight to Hell” is an
amazing – and offensive – collection of hillbilly country music.
After a couple of records that were comparatively
tame (for him), on his third effort Hank sheds any remaining sense of propriety
to tell you just what he thinks. This is Hank unfiltered and he spits it out in
a way that lets you know he enjoys the freedom of it all and is more than happy
to bask in the warm glow of our collective reproval. Like C.Thomas Howell in
Red Dawn, all that hate just keeps him warm.
The record is a mix of bluegrass and outlaw
country, full of songs told in the first person on such topics as Hanks’ enjoyment
of liquor, pills and his thoughts on the state of the music industry. How much
of this is singing in character and how much of it is Hank veritas? It doesn’t
really matter in the end, but if these are characters, it is clear Hank likes
speaking in their voice.
Williams’ main obsession on “Straight to Hell”
appears to be the state of country music. His synopsis: things aren’t good.
Hank III is a traditionalist and doesn’t cotton to the kind of country you’re
likely to hear on a Nashville radio station. He appeals to his own country heroes,
including Waylon Jennings, George Jones, David Allan Coe, and his grandfather,
Hank Williams.
Hank III can be downright sentimental about
his idols, recounting getting wasted while listening to their music on “Country
Heroes.” He also wants you to know what he doesn’t like, such as
these lines from “Not Everybody Likes Us”:
“Well I think I'd rather eat
the barrel,
Of a double-barrel loaded
shotgun,
Than to hear that shit they
call pop-country music,
On ninety-eight-point-one.
Just so you know, so it's
it's set in stone,
Kid Rock don't come from
where I come from.
Yeah, it's true, he's a
Yank, he ain't no son of Hank.
And if you thought so,
god-damn you're fucking dumb.”
So we can assume Kid Rock will not be getting
a Christmas card from Hank anytime soon. And Hank III’s not getting an invite to
an award’s show any time soon either. The liner notes of “Straight to Hell”
take direct shots at both the CMAs and the Grand Ole Opry as well. Hank’s got a
lot of anger in him, but at least you know where he stands.
If it were just a bunch of angry opinions, “Straight
to Hell” wouldn’t amount to much, but Hank III backs up his tough words with
first-rate songwriting and a collection of some damned talented musicians. The
band plays slow moseys and furious up-tempo tracks with equal brilliance. Hank’s
visceral drawl staggers across the top of it all with the grace and balance of
an experienced drunk. He is always right in the pocket, and right on pitch. It
only seems sloppy.
All of what I just described is on Disc One,
which is close to a five star effort. Unfortunately, Hank III saw fit to
include a second disc, which is basically 45 minutes of rambling miscellany. This
includes something that sounds like a 78 played on 33 speed, plus train noises,
gurgling brooks, children laughing, and rambling answering machine messages. Interspersed
through all of this are four or five songs that are OK, but not worth the
jungle of noises they’re lost in.
As Hank III himself notes, “not everybody
likes us/but we drive some folks wild.” Despite that second disc’s excess you
can put me solidly in the latter category. Not to have him over for drinks,
mind you; he seems like a bit of a jerk. But safely on my CD player? You bet.
If I were to recommend one Hank III album to
hook a new listener, it would be this one. Just know up front that he’s got a
lot to say, and that he doesn’t care if he hurts your feelings saying it.
Best tracks: Thrown Out of the Bar, Country Heroes, Low Down,
Pills I Took, My Drinkin’ Problem, Crazed Country Rebel, Dick in Dixie, Not
Everybody Likes Us
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