Hayseed Dixie: No Covers
Friday, 08 Feb 2008 12:52
Hayseed Dixie's seventh album is their first of only original songs.
Cooking Vinyl, February 18th.
In a nutshell…
Barn-storming. Rootin'. Tootin'. Twangy banjos.
What's it all about?
After six albums of cover versions in their own folk/ bluegrass style, Hayseed Dixie return with a seventh album, but the first to fully contain original material. Named after AC/DC, a couple of their earlier albums paid homage to such luminaries, including 2001's A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC.
Seven years of touring, including an extensive number of gigs around the UK, have sent them to just about every possible festival, earning a few celebrity fans along their way. People as diverse as Jeremy Vine and Chris Moyles are fans.
A mixture of rock, folk, blues and hillbilly, the Hayseed Dixie sound is unique.
Who's it by?
The four people behind the Hayseed Dixie project – and the Kerosene Brothers alter-ego – are lead singer and founder John Wheeler, banjo player Don Wayne Reno, Dale Reno is on mandolin while Jake Byers is on bass.
As an example…
"You've got me all wrong, you think I care what you do/You think that deep down I really care about you/You've got me all wrong bab." - You've Got Me All Wrong Baby
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
I would doubt it very much. I'm not sure which category they would fit in. Probably best for them to avoid such a commercial event though.
What the others say
"Funny, witty, tongue-in-cheek comedy songs, crafted and played by good musicians are rare things, and Hayseed Dixie have them in spades." – Rock Louder
So is it any good?
Having been a fan of previous works - which ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous to the genius - I was a bit sceptic of a whole Hayseed Dixie album without one comical cover. Quite often, tribute bands are not good songwriters.
However, from the first to the last, No Covers is just as good fun as the previous six Hayseed Dixie albums and possibly better than them in places. It may even be an astute move to deviate from the covers, seeing as tribute bands can get quite monotonous. No Covers blows away any such preconceptions and is pure good fun.
The album starts with a song about cracking on to a loose woman - Bouncing Betty Boogie - and sets the tone for the rest of the record. Its jaunty banjos, combined with hillbilly banjos and Bon Jovi-esque riffs, is quite clever, while Set Myself On Fire reminds you of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The contrasting Born To Die In France could well be a country and western anthem in the making.
No Covers will not be everybody's cup of tea. It is not commercial and will never be. However, if you are a fan of previous works, as many are, you may be pleasantly surprised by No Covers. A proper gem.
8/10
Richard Fox
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