Customer Reviews

Almeria Club Recordings

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bocephus recaptures the spirit of "Freedom and Fun" that catapulted him to fame outside of his legendary daddy's shadow in the '70's and '80's.

For those who like "real" country music, and not the tripe being churned out by Music Row these days, get ready for some relief. The bottom line is that you get the traditional country sound (slide guitar, banjo, jug, fiddle) spiced with some big city blues and rock&roll. This is the very combination of influences that made Hank Sr. one of the most important artists in American history.

Here are a few of the highlights"

Outdoor Lovin' Man - a charming self-portrait of who the real Hank Jr. his when left to his own devices - a pretty simple 'ol boy with a cane pole and a shot gun. This is genuine stuff that could not have been written by someone not truly in love with the great outdoors.

(In Country Music We Don't Use) The 'F' Word - This is not only meant to evoke some laughs, but it's actually a fairly astute bit of social commentary (something Hank Jr. has long had a knack for). This song was born out of Hank Jr's fledgling friendship with Kid Rock. It just goes to show that it does no good to draw lines when it comes to music and people.

Cross on the Highway - Stirring, soulful tribute to Derek Thomas, the legendary Alabama/KC Chiefs linebacker struck down in a car wreck. From the opening organ solo to the closing gospel chorus, Hank Jr's awesome range as a songwriter is on full display here.

Porkchop Blues - In his own variation on a classic blues theme, Hank Jr. compares the eating of this popular southern staple with, you guessed it.

America Will Survive - Re-written version of "Country Boy... for post 9/11 patriots. This will be a must-play for all true red-white-and-bluers this coming July 4. If you don't get chills down your spine listening to this at full volumen, then you need to jump on the next train to Commie-fornia.

Big Top Women - The title says it all. This is text book Hank Jr; a guy with such incredible talent, but not afraid to put out a novelty record for the pure fun of it.

Tee Tot Song- Moving tribute to the marriage of black blues and white country that changed the world. Perhaps the most powerful incarnation of this marriage was between a young Hank Sr. and an old black man named Rufus Payne (sp?) who tought him to play guitar.

It's damn hard to hear music like this and learn the history behind it and not believe that there's a God!!

Enjoy!!!!
Hoss

Hank Jr. hasn't forgotten where he came from. Nor does he have a problem knowing where he wants to go. He doesn't care what's popular, what the market will bear, or "what people want" (or, more accurately, what a handful of executives tell them they want). Hank Jr. does what Hank Jr. likes to do, and this album is a loving sample of that. It is pure, in-your-face, "I like this music and you can either like it or lump it" attitude. More than that, it is beautifully executed and performed, a little laid-back, a little frenzied, a little blues, a little country -- and all good.
Hank Jr. is no longer living in his Daddy's shadow. Indeed, his own shadow has grown exceptionally lengthy. But he enjoys living NEXT to his Daddy's shadow. He remembers his father in two songs, "If the Good Lord's Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise," which are some of Hank Sr.'s lyrics newly set to music, and the Tee-Tot song, a beautiful blues ballad paying homage to a great old Alabama bluesman. Hank also remembers those blues roots with his own blues pseudonym, "Thunderhead Hawkins," who sings the blues through Hank Jr. the way "Luke the Drifter" sang gospel through Hank Sr.
Hank Jr. is not for everyone. Matter of fact, I never really counted myself a Hank Jr. fan. But after this album, I may go out of my way to find more of his work, if only because Hank Jr. is not one of those cookie-cutter cowboy [garbage] singers. The "country music industry" may have forgotten Hank Jr., Hank Sr., and their roots, but Hank Jr. has not. This is country music, the way it's supposed to sound, and Kid Rock knows it, even if the McGraw-Hills and their coattail-riders don't.

I have to say, This is the Bocephus all his fans know and love. If you don't understand him or his music...you probably won't know where this CD comes from (like the editorial review didn't)
It's a sort of acoustic jam for Hank Jr. Almost like a vacation from recording label pressures. He's done something he wanted to do. I think he has totally let go of his worries for a number 1 hit, or even a top 10 hit, and actually tapped into some roots that expose an actual rediscovery for him. This journey was totally missed by the editorial review.
I've listened to Hank Jr, Hank Sr and Hank III. Love them all. there's a good mix of all of them.

Basic line, if you like Hank Jr., this is not a bad buy. you might enjoy it. It might even get you to explore some of his early music, and I mean before Hank Jr. and Friends.

Hope you like!

Bocephus puts everything into this one. This is a new sound that he has done mainly in live performances. He shows his true love for the blues and it shows. You will not be disappointed.

Hank Jr. writes about three things: His daddy, women, or booze. He doesn't disappoint here. The songs are standard three chord rock, but he employes some great musicians to help him out with the twangey, bluesey, twists that make it very listenable. The lyrics are pretty good and sometimes downright funny...don't get me wrong there are no "Whiskey Bent", "Outlaw Women", "Dinosaur", classics, but for his fiftieth something album, it's pretty good. And, he goes back to a hole in the wall juke joint his daddy played at (and escaped from when a drunken jealous husband came looking for his wife) to record the music. So go buy it. It's worth it just for the linear notes.

I must admit that my country tastes usually range along the lines of Mssrs. Cash and Nelson. (Not bad!) But I saw Hank Jr. and Kid Rock last year on CMT Crossroads and remember 'The F Word'. That song is funny, but Hank was being far too diplomatic when he sang about today's hot new country. It sounds like sh*t to me!

Anyway, being a big blues fan, I really enjoyed the feel that this album left me with. Last Pork Chop and Tee Top are as down-home rootsy as you can get without being named Robert Johnson or Leadbelly. It doesn't hurt that Reese Wynans, Stevie Ray Vaughan's keyboard player, was on most of this album. He also pulls off the acoustic Pork Chop song without sounding like he's poking fun at old-time blues artists! By the way, Big Top Women is hysterical, especially the beginning when he sings about bosoms the way kids used to sing about Apple Jacks cereal. But let's not forget the poignancy of the last two songs.

There must be two reasons Cross on the Highway is not played on country radio: it's too long and it has a gospel choir in it. Too bad! I only knew Derrick Thomas as a great football player (are you sure that wasn't Keith Jackson saying, "He led the Alabama Crimson Tide in all-time total sacks"?) and yet I found myself near tears by the end of the 5th time I heard this song. Imagine what it must've been like for Hank to write it with the memory of his friends Derrick and Mike Tellis' deaths fresh in his mind. Hank, that one song alone may just ticket you to heaven and cancel out your wild and crazy past.

America Will Survive! Damn right! Because I'm somewhat new to Hank Jr., I didn't realize this was a rewrite of A Country Boy Can Survive. Still appropriate. It's been almost two years since the attacks and this country, in spite of its problems, is still perservering. Now we need to find the terrorists and well you know the rest.

Overall, fine piece of work from a legend I should've listened to more. Let's hope that this is not Hank Jr.'s peak.

This new CD is fantastic. It is the whole package. Country, Blues, Western Swing. I Love it from beginning to end and you will too. I agree with an earlier review that the Amazon.Com reviewer just doesn't get Hank, Jr.
This is incredible whether you are a Hank fan already or not. If you are not, you will be. Buy this and you will not be disappointed.
John from York, PA

Having started as a Rockin'Randall fan and growing into a Hank Jr. fan, I find this cd to be just another turn on the twisting back country road which is the career of Hank Jr. Never one to be afraid to try something new, to experiment, to do things his way regardless of anyone else's opinion, Hank has recorded a fine collection of songs. Never doubt his talent, his sense of humor, his love of friends, or his pride. All these are expressed on this cd. Laugh at "Last Pork Chop" and "Big Top Women," let your jaw drop for "The F--- Word," cry for "Cross on the Highway," and swell with pride for"America Will Survive." This cd has it all.

Hank Jr. has out done himself with this genre breaking CD. My first listen yielded some skepticism but after the 3rd and by now 40th listen I'm hooked. Even the instrumental track (Almeria Jam) is addicting to say the least. In today's music industry you buy a 13 track CD and like 3 songs. Almeria Club is just the opposite. If you have liked Hank Jr. in the past (70s-80s) you finally have a CD to come back to. If you have never listened to Hank Jr.then turn off that pop 40 station Pedro, and r listen to some real music, Almeria Club is the perfect place to start.

The Almeria Club Recordings is Hank Jr.'s testimony that he will not be forgotten, ignored, or bought out by the establishment. He will remain true to himself and his long tradition of going his own way. The songs contained here span the gamut from low down, Delta style blues "Last Pork Chop" (sung in the persona of his alter-ego Thunderhead Hawkins) to the purely comic tribute to his appreciation of, shall we say, voluptuous "Big Top Women."

There is even room for philosophy... Somewhat reminiscent of his earlier "Young Country," in it he offers advice to aspiring country music singers (ponder that for a moment - the man who is the penultimate outsider in country music offering advice on how to succeed...) on what not to put into their songs.

So if you like good, old style country music in all its many forms, buy this recording. Hank Jr. is still very much alive and picking, and for that we should all be thankful.