2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cleveland honky-tonk and bluegrass, April 8, 2002
This review is from: Hillbilly Idol (Audio CD)
Recording in the shadow of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, this Cleveland quartet has created a fine album of honky-tonk music flavored with Swing, Zydeco, Tex-Mex and Bluegrass. Al Moss' pedal steel anchors a country sound whose nostalgic echoes will be familiar to fans of BR549, but without the stagey retro baggage. The group's harmonies call on the Everly and Louvin Brothers (the latter of whose "She Didn't Even Know I Was Gone" is covered here), and the band's original compositions mix easily with covers of jazz composer Jimmy Giuffre's "Four Brothers"(rearranged as a swingin' Speedy West/Jimmy Bryant-styled pick-fest) and Tim O'Brien's touching "Late in the Day."
The novel "Hillbilly Polka" cleverly mixes country swing and Cleveland's ethnic beat, with Jeff Pecon's piano accordion intertwining playfully with guitars and yodels to create a lively dance tune. The band moves easily from swing ("One Step Forward") to honky-tonk two-steps and banjo-led modern bluegrass such as "Dixie Highway Home," repleat with tight, multipart harmonies. Laurie Lewis adds her harmony to "Between Here and Heaven," and the band kicks up the tempo for a Buckaroos-styled instrumental, "Radio Flyer." The closing "Sirocco" weds western musical themes (by way of James Bond, perhaps) with the '60s instrumental twang of the Shadows and Ventures, and a modern twist of the Raybeats.
The Hillbilly Idols' very name spells the reverence they feel for their influences. They run through a wide variety of styles on this sophomore effort, with a mastery that frees them from slavish devotion. The resulting blend presents a sound that's the organic result of lifetimes spent listening to and playingmusic, rather than simply studying nostalgic sources.
3-1/2 stars, if Amazon allowed fractional reviews.
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