Tag: Honky Tonk
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Pat Reedy ‘Make It Back Home’ (2024)
Make It Back Home is a good old-fashioned trip of honky tonk nostalgia, with heavenly slide guitars and a rumbling rhythm section clashing with Pat Reedy’s road-weary voice that tells a story in and of itself even if you aren’t paying attention to the lyrics. Solid highway music through and through. Standout Songs: “Make It…
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The Blasters ‘American Music’ (1980)
The Blasters are a rare childhood friends become music stars success story– brothers Paul and Dave Alvin formed the band with their childhood friends John Bazz and Bill Bateman in Downey, CA during the spring of 1979. Adding boogie-woogie pianist Gene Taylor into the band, they released their debut album American Music in 1980 that…
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Dwight Yoakam ‘Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.’ (1984)
Dwight Yoakam’s debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is a perfect encapsulation of what has made Yoakam such a mainstay in the country music industry for forty years. His love for the traditional honky tonk sound, and undisguised disdain for the more pop-oriented focus that was coming out of Nashville at the time (and is…
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George Strait ‘Strait From The Heart’ (1982)
George Strait is the epitome of old school classic country. Possessing a crystal clear voice and a backing band that’s solid as nails, Strait rolls through his vintage brand of country music effortlessly during 10 songs that span an efficient 29 minute runtime on Strait From The Heart. This was the album that put Strait…
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Merle Haggard & The Strangers ‘Mama Tried’ (1968)
“Mama Tried” is the song country legend Merle Haggard is best known for and it’s actually a semi-autobiographical one. At the age of nine years old Haggard’s father died of a brain hemorrhage, a moment that had a materical impact on the young Haggard. With the absence of a father figure in his life Haggard…
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Waylon Jennings ‘Honky Tonk Heroes’ (1973)
Waylon Jennings is an almost mythical force in the history of outlaw country, a sub-genre that bucked the norms of the Nashville establishment in the early 70’s. Disillusioned with both the artistic and sonic constraints of producers like Chet Atkins who favored slick production over a more organic and natural sound, artists like Jennings and…
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Garth Brooks ‘Double Live’ (1998)
I don’t do too many live album reviews for a handful of reasons, the primary one being they end up effectively being a compilation of hit songs for many artists and not necessarily a true reflection of what an album stands for. We’ve made exceptions this year (1971’s At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers…
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Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley ‘Just Good Ol’ Boys’ (1979)
Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley were outlaw country stalwarts in the mid-70’s. Taking influence from the rough and tumble honky tonk of Hank Williams, their individual solo careers were filled with barroom ballads covering topics like lost love, cheating, and whiskey (three topics that are natural fits together) and helped drive redneck regalia to the…
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