Customer Reviews

That's What Daddy Wants

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Wayne Hancock's voice and music hits you like the ringing of the ice cream truck from your second floor room down the street - immediately and wholly dominates your being. Whatever you're doing before that sudden unexpected sound is forgotten; whether you answer that call by running out the door scrambling for change along the way, or let it pass moving further away with every chime - your pulse has started to race and something wont let you sit still no more.

"If misery was a crime then I'd always be serving time"...what a great lyric! Wayne is one of those artists that defy easy classification and that's what I like about him. I was blown away by this record when I first heard it. Passionate, visceral and original, Wayne knows how to make good ole American music with flair and style!

If you can't go see Wayne live, buy this album. His music is reminiscent of Hank Williams Sr, but has its own ideas and twists. It has a hard edge to it, but it can be sentimental.

oh heck, just listen to the clips and buy it for yourself. it is good stuff.

Just when you are tempted to categorize Hancock, he changes your mind. The few people that criticized his first album bitched about him sounding too much like Hank Williams Sr. As Raul Malo said when he was compared to Roy Orbison: "So, what's wrong with that?"

The best that can be said of Hancock is that he is genuine. He is that kind of traditionalist that exudes total passion for his art. While he can certainly honky tonk a-la Williams, he crosses the boundaries into heavy duty rockabilly, Western swing, blues, old-timey country a-la Jimmie Rodgers, and even an occasional pop tune.
Hancock has maintained an aversion to the Nashville hit factories which has earned him a fanatic following of alt-country followers as well as critical acclaim.

This is Hancock's sophmore offering. The first album, Thunderstorms and Neon Signs, consisted largely of Williamsesque tunes, and did fairly well despite being on a small indie label and selling mostly by word of mouth. This album finds Hancock spreading his wings a bit; mixing in some more rockabilly and Western swing numbers and mixing in a number of horn arrangements that remind one of the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It may be "retro", but it is damned fine retro. There is nothing wrong with going back in styles when it is done this good. But only the music is retro, as many of the lyrics are definately 90's oriented; lines that Hank Williams would never have been able to get away with.

One can hear in the title song Hank Williams, Brian Setzer, Texas Playboy vocalist Tommy Duncan, but with some subtle Hancock variations. "87 Southbound" sounds like it came right out of a cantina in San Antone or Brownsville. "Misery" reminds one of some early Lubbock offerings of Buddy Holly. "Highway 54" with it's death on the highway theme, "Johnny Law" as the "road trip gone bad from a hasselling cop", and "Life on the Road" with a swing boogie-woogie feel to it are all winners. We even have an old surfer song "Brand New Cadillac", a Clash cover of a Vince Taylor original. "Lea Ann" is the only number that I had trouble with, and am still not quite sure why. However, a very strong album by a true original; try it, you'll like it.

Yeah, another great Wayne album. He even does a little bit of a surf-rock thing on "Brand-New Cadillac", but it's all good.

I receved the cd and on two of the songs there is a skip or a space and is very annoying... otherwise all is well. Leo