Customer Reviews

Swampblood (Dig)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, take it from someone who has seen the Shack Shakers live and met them at some of the gigs. They are a very talented bunch of guys who take rocka billy, hell billy, Southern goth or whatever you want to call it and make great music. Country music has lost so much of its guts and these guys bring out the best in this genre. On this new album, it seems they are continuing to make varied and fun music. If you want an album that takes it to the next level in terms of aesthetics and talent then buy this. If you are looking for watered down soutern rock listen to Sknyrd or 38 special. To even say these guys are only southern rock or country is short sighted. Each song on this album has its own character in terms of style. Open your mind to the polka infused quirky circus introverted slices of hard country. The Colonel sings with verve, gusto, and a clear voice. There aren't any wasted notes or screaming that isn't meaningful. From the previous albums, this album sounds just right in terms of production. All of their albums are well produced and again a very artistic band with so many interesting ideas in their songs. This band leads the pack along with Hank III as some of the most refreshing music out there today. Buy this so you can support a real band. I hope to see them again in the near future. Come back to Atlanta boys!

Definitely something different. If you enjoy a good real southern sound in this era of crap on the radio then pick this up. [...] (MP3 Download) for 16 songs? Pretty darn cheap.

This is real music. This is no pop crap. This kind of music is hard to find now-a-days and even harder to find done to this quality. Anyone that likes good music will like this album. Each musician is excellent and the song writing is superior. J.D. Wilkes is , in my opinion, the best harmonica player alive. Th'Legendary Shack Shakers music really transcends genres. It is its own genre. A little blues, a little rock'n'roll, a little country, a little rockabilly, a little punk, a littel bluegrass. This being their 4th album, I didn't know what direction it would take. I was glad to hear that they stayed true to their roots: good ol' rockin, swingin, stompin music that soothes the soul.

I think Swampblood is the best of all the Shackshakers' albums. I like all of their albums, but there is something special about this one. Whereas their earlier albums were perhaps more rockabilly/psychobilly, this one is a little more even, song-wise. Don't worry, though, their dark, crazy, freak-show-like style is intact. The tracks that really stand out, for me, are "Old Spur Line", "Swampblood", and "He Ain't Right", although the others are good, too. Old Spur Line really sets the mood for the album by painting a picture of a Deliverance-like part of the woods you really don't want to be caught in alone. There are some great lines in this song, from a grandma whose banjo is "tuned to F-sharp dead" to "people ain't right in the head down there". The title track of the album is probably the most accessible to the average listener. It is a great bluesy, swamp-rock, CCR-type song. In fact, it reminds me of a sped-up version of CCR's "Born on the Bayou". A reviewer of another LSS album mentioned that they had a "CCR-from-Hell vibe". This song exemplifies that comment. "He Ain't Right" is another fun, up-tempo number with more of a rockabilly feel. You can't help but tap your feet to this one. I love the Shackshakers and JD Wilkes. They expose the dark underbelly of Southern culture that is so often swept under the rug by modern "country" artists. JD Wilkes' South is the old-fashioned, dirty, gritty, whiskey-drinking, serpent-handling, holy-rollin' South of years gone by. All of their albums have a similar feel to this one, but yet they all manage to stand on their own. I recommend all of them, and also the DVD documentary on the South titled "Seven Signs" by JD Wilkes. Preach on, brother JD....preach on!

This is the first cd I have listened to by this group and I am definitely going to buy some more. Good music for the whole family including the young'ns.

This was the first album by the Shack Shakers that I heard, though they have many before this. At first I was a little worried that they had the same formulaic "rockabilly" sound as everyone else, but the more I listened to the album the more I realized that they have something so much more talented and unique going on. From the variety of different instruments used (banjo, saw, harmonica, piano, fiddle, etc.) to the different ranges of JD Wilkes amazing voice (from the gruff southern drawl of the Old Spur Line and The Deadenin' to the country-hillbilly singing of Mr.Jimblyleg Man), these songs are true representatives of southern culture with so many elements thrown in. The lyrics are smart and original and really paint pictures of a southern gothic world. Needless to say this band is awesome, and this CD is one of their best.

This cd is awesome. I have almost all of the Shack*Shakers albums and I listen to this one frequently. My only gripe is that the songs aren't long enough.

I'd like to hear the more balls-out rockabilly you experience when you see them live captured faithfully, but this album (upon the 2-3 listens I've gotten in so far) is deep in songwriting quality and craft and avoids the "punch you in the face" rockabilly attitude. The kind of things Col. JD and the crew can't necessarily pull off in the small clubs full of pompa-dorks they frequent can be pulled off in the studio...and what's so bad about that?

Good album - different from their shows....but still a 5-star for sure.

Purchased this album on a whim at the local super-electronics-mega-plex because there is a reb flag on the front, and a banjo spattered with blood on the back cover, can't go wrong with that right? This album is spectacular!!! I really lucked out in taking a chance on this one!! YOU WILL TOO!! BUY IT!!!

Lots of songs on this new Cd. The ones I like I like alot.The ones I don't like I don't like.It seems a little over produced or something.Check it out for yourself.Pound for pound still the best live rockabilly band out there.