Customer Reviews

Hands Up

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

 

 

I love alt country, but I wasn't familiar with the North Carolina band Two Dollar Pistols until reading a magazine review of this CD. I bought it blind, but it was definitely a gamble that paid off completely. The Yep Roc Record's band pretty clearly fits into the boundaries of alt country with a heavy dose of honky-tonk, but they sound unlike any other group I've heard. Dwight Yoakum crossed with Wilco and mixed with some Roy Orbison is perhaps the most apt description I can conjur, although they're also totally original.

Lead singer John Howie Jr. has a terrific weathered voice; I really like how his voice slides around soulfully but is still so smooth. "Hands Up!" was produced by Brian Paulson, who worked with Wilco on "A.M.," and his work is solid here. The band writes all their own material. My favorite song is the final selection - "It's All Fun and Games (Til Someone Breaks a Heart)." The title alone is brilliant, and the lyrics show a wry sense of humor. "There Goes My Baby" is another highlight - such an instantly likeable song that I actually thought that it was a remake: it was like a familiar old friend.

Of course, "Hands Up!" also has one of the best CD covers I've seen in years. The picture really tells you everything you need to know about Two Dollar Pistols. I hope that this incredible CD will win Two Dollar Pistols some new fans and greater recognition. I know that I look forward to purchasing more of their CDs, particularly their collaboration with Tift Merrit. Most highly recommended.

Though John Howie Jr.'s heartbroken lyrical sentiment is often traced back to George Jones, his band's backbeats rock, as well as shuffle, and their guitars chime in addition to twang - reminiscent of '60s country-rock crossovers like The Byrds and Gram Parsons, and Americana troubadours like Dave Alvin. Howie's baritone is often reminiscent of Alvin's, but he sings with more anguished abandon, matching the mood of his lost-love songs.

The third revision of the band (the rhythm section has once again been replaced between records) works smoothly with producer Brian Paulson (Wilco and Son Volt, among others), to craft rich arrangements that remain anchored in the guitar-bass-drums-steel axis. Originals like "There Goes My Baby" reach towards the operatic grandeur of Roy Orbison or Raul Malo, but with a livelier sound that isn't dependent on a studio for reproduction.

Howie and the Pistols crank up two-step honky-tonkers with tremendous ease, soaking up the heartache of Buck or Merle, with a lovingly borrowed guitar riff here or there. The ballads are equally fetching, filling out winning titles ("It's All Fun and Games (Til Someone Breaks a Heart)" with beer-diluting tears. Unlike fellow neo-Bakersfieldians, such as The Derailers, the Pistols keep their rock 'n' roll influences on the periphery, and the country twang front-and-center. And whether they're whipping dancers around the floor, or wallowing at the bar, they've got a heart full of heartache to pour.

this is the first Two Dollar Pistols CD I have heard. They are a wonderful country band with good lyrics.

I'm always looking for groups that can reproduce real country music. I heard this group on [...] and they blew me away. What a great job these guys do. The song 'Runnin' With the Fools' is by and far the best cut. The best part of all is the CD cover, which is too cool for words. This CD is highly recommended.

John Howie Jr has such a great voice and Two Dollar Pistols never disappoints. Too bad the band is no longer together.