Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label and studio specializes in giving blues veterans another shot at cutting something down-and-dirty, and that's precisely what the producer/guitarist does with Hank Williams, Jr.: he takes Bocephus all the way back to the blues at the foundation of his music. Working with a band featuring slide guitarist Kenny Brown, bassist Eric Deaton, and drummer Kinney Kimbrough (son of Delta house-rocker Junior Kimbrough, one of Auerbach's idols), Auerbach keeps the session loose, dirty, and greasy, ...
Read More
Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label and studio specializes in giving blues veterans another shot at cutting something down-and-dirty, and that's precisely what the producer/guitarist does with Hank Williams, Jr.: he takes Bocephus all the way back to the blues at the foundation of his music. Working with a band featuring slide guitarist Kenny Brown, bassist Eric Deaton, and drummer Kinney Kimbrough (son of Delta house-rocker Junior Kimbrough, one of Auerbach's idols), Auerbach keeps the session loose, dirty, and greasy, giving Hank Jr. plenty of space to snarl, boogie, and curse. Yes, the Parental Advisory sticker on Rich White Honky Blues is earned, but it's impossible to imagine a listener younger than Auerbach being enticed by this gnarled blues as it's the sound of a cranky old braggart who almost seems annoyed that he can still muster the energy to sing with conviction. Amazingly, that's precisely what Hank Jr. does on Rich White Honky Blues. Since he's not quite in the driver's seat here -- it's his show but the Easy Eye Sound crew sets the course and the pace -- the band can settle into a nasty groove and Hank can sing whatever he wants. Usually, he sings about himself, often in the guise of his invented persona "Thunderhead Hawkins," and while that braggadocio can sometimes be wearying on his country records, it's amusing, even infectious, here thanks to a band who seem to be having a whale of a time getting down with this ornery old git. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Read Less
