Customer Reviews

Snake Farm

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ray continues move away from folk/country style music to a more roots blues sound. If you liked RWH's Growl you will love this one. Greasy backwoods roadhouse southern fried blues. Gurf Morlix' guitar and production work with RWH is fantastic. RWH is an American roots music treasure who keeps getting better with age.

Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Snake Farm" is one evil, growling monster of a record, a finely focused muscular effort that effuses grit, malice, and funk. The sound ripples with thick, raw grooves that compliment the subject matter: the devil, women, redemption and damnation, hexes, and guitars. Clearly, this stuff is middle-of-the-night music, fuel for bonfires, dice, and showdowns.

Though Mr. Hubbard's considerable sense of humor and keen wit are not lost, his music has changed a great deal. To see how dramatically Mr. Hubbard's, listen to "Dangerous Spirits," a much more freewheeling, country-laced sound. More specifically, compare the earlier, lilting version of Resurrection with the darker vibe that runs through the same song on "Snake Farm."

Nearly all the tracks feature Hubbard along with a now familiar cast of characters: his producer and guitar player Gurf Morlix, stalwart Rick Richards on drums, and steady George Reiff on bass. A smattering of guests keep matters interesting without altering the focus.

Time to get yourself down to the "Snake Farm."

I can't get this cd out of my player. I love Austin music and Ray is the best. The swampy, sultry sound can take you away. The lyrics are amazing and certain lines stick in my head. Amazing stuff and a far cry from 'Up Against the Wall Redneck Mothers' although I like that too.

I thought "Delirium Tremolos" was the ultimate display of Ray Wylie Hubbard's style & talent, then I listened to "Snake Farm". Wow! I didn't think RWH's essence could be distilled down any further after "DT", but with "Snake Farm" I was hooked from the first riff & didn't come up for air until the cd changer kicked in at the end. This stuff is 100 proof Hubbard. Honey, it's all good, down to the last drop.

The whole album has that old southern blues rock grind, but it doesn't lose the Ray Wylie effect. Good guitar work throughout the entire album. As most of Ray Wylie's songs they are songs of blood, sweat and grease with a touch of sin and redemption. He and Gurf Morlix really sound like they are having fun playing together and that always makes an album special to me.

Being here in Georgia, I get the opportunity to expose folks to some of the music I get to hear when working in Texas. Snake Farm, and Ray Wylie Hubbard in general, is best played for folks who know, and can hear, the talent in the songwriting and the musical licks. Grab a smoke and some brown liquor and play this one twice through.

this is what early zz top would have sounded like had they leaned toward alt-country rather than rock. mr hubbard plays superb electric guitar and is a fine songwriter to boot. down and dirty, gritty and greasy, blues and country and rock & roll. choosen as one of the 50 best albums of 2006 by no depression magazine, i recommend this to swamp-rockers everywhere.

I saw him at the music festival in Lake City, Colorado but he didn't have any albums for sale at the event. So I had to pick it up later from Amazon. Look, it is what it is. You cannot compare him to the more noted musicians out there making millions and flying around in personal jet planes, but the songs are worth hearing when in the mood for it. I would have been just as happy to listen to a recording of his performance at the music festival as I was to listen to the polished version done in a studio. Actually, for this kind of music, I'd have preferred it. On the other hand, Snake Farm is still in the CD player after a few weeks so...

Witty lyrics embeded within hard-driving blues, southern-rock and country music. RWH is one of those great musicians who defies classification and therefore finds little audience on commercial FM radio. In the vein of Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle, this is music you gotta explore to find, but will never loose sight of once you do. Check out XM12 - Cross Country, thats how I found RWH. This is an amazing album, period.

We heard the title cut on Tucson's KXCI, and had to get the album. We picked it up from our P.O. box today and put it right in the CD player on our way to exercise, and listened to it as went went about our errands afterwards. It's modern blues, with that little edge to it, and just fun to listen to. If you're into analyzing songs, these can certainly be said to speak to the modern angst and all, like blues are supposed to. The lyrics (which are printed out) are simple, strange, and can, I think, be as Meaningful as you want 'em to be. Hubbard's voice has a sort of limited range, but it's a great voice, distinctive, full of personality and subtle expression, and easy on the ears at the same time it commands attention. It's gonna be years before we even -begin- to tire of this album, and we're already raving about it to our friends.