H - Ribviews

Whether they’re straight out of the kitchen or have been sitting under a heat lamp for a minute, here is a sample of releases Ribbers decided to taste. Like other zines, we have rated them, but with our own complicated culinary system – from one rib (lowest) to five ribs (bestest).

Hank III Straight To Hell (BRUC). 5 ribs-country fried.
Now this is how country music is supposed to be made. Filled with devil-devoted demons, booze, buds, guns, broken hearts and outlaw ways, Hank tells his stories the way he’s lived them—hard. Shelton Hank Williams III had a tough couple of shadows lingering over him since he made the decision to stumble in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, but has always been hellbent on carving out his own sound (just check out Assjack). Straight To Hell is a two disk set and as described by Hank, “One’s done right, the other’s done wrong.” The first CD was recorded in a house in East Nashville on a $400 Korg D-1600 digital recording apparatus, and was produced by Hank. Each song has a stripped down feel and a rawness that beckons the “old country sound” before it became commercialized and in my opinion raped of its dignity. The second CD is one long track that contains Hank’s first ever Hank Williams’ cover “I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You” along with a Wayne “The Train” Hancock tune and some surprises. Straight To Hell is dripping with honesty and is like nothing else coming out of Music Row. In his own words, Hank describes his music-making process, “I need to feel the sadness because it’s easy to get soft. I’m here to live a life of misery, depression and sorrow and I know that, but that’s what fuels my fire.” Will Jordan

Hanna-McEuen (Dreamworks). 4 ribs-Slather on some hickory sauce.
Boasting hair, makeup and wardrobe stylists, even a management team, these first cousins are primed and ready to put the Western back into C&W by bucking the standard 10-track trend with 12 traditional but oh-so slick numbers. These sons of identical twin sisters, though looking nothing alike themselves, are also the offspring of founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This self-titled disc opens with the obvious single, "Fool Around," a nice marriage of Lyle Lovett with Dwight Yoakam's Bakersfield sound, and a Chris Isaak-like ode to early '70s country rock on "Blue Sunrise." Other standouts include "Read Between the Lies," "Is It Only Me" and "Someone Else." Also present are the ubiquitous yet beautiful ballads, two of only three tracks co-written by Jonathan McEuen. Though hardly filler, the duo sounds bored on a couple of cuts - but maybe effortless virtuosity can sometimes be misconstrued as going through the motions. (U.K. labelScore) David Thornton

Hard Truth Soldiers Volume 1 (Guerrilla Funk). 4 ribs-Be careful. It’s got a bite!
Taking the power back, Hard Truth Soldiers packs a punch! Combating apolitical commercial airplay, this is the first installment in a series of militantly conscious compilations coming from Guerilla Funk Records (the new home of Public Enemy.) Featuring Paris’ trademark heavy sonic production, Volume 1 showcases contributions from KRS-1, Public Enemy, The Coup, Dead Prez, Mac-10, Defari and Everlast. It’s good to hear back from some old school, impacting voices. Will Jordan

The Hold Steady Separation Sunday (Frenchkiss). Souie! 3 ribs.
This band of Brooklyn anti-hipsters by way of Minneapolis basically serves as a vehicle for singer/lyricist Craig Finn, not to be confused with Crowded House's Tim and Neil. On this follow-up to "Almost Killed Me," called by both Rolling Stone and Spin as the "Best Album You Didn't Hear" in 2004, Finn uses cleverly strung-together narrative rants delivered in a spoken-word Louis XIV tone and even words in song titles that appear elsewhere on the album. This record - best described as "Bridging Asbury Park with Paisley Park" - definitely speaks to 30- and even 40-somethings (cases in point: looking back to the heady days of when "Stevie Nicks" was a full-on fox and deconstructing a few scenes in "Don't Let Me Explode"), but the blend of guitars, pianos, organs and horns often suffers from a bland bar-band same soundedness reminiscent of the Wallflowers and Counting Crows. David Thornton

Want to join Rib Magazine's e-mail list? Contact us