The Reverend Horton Heat
Lucky 7
Artemis
Ah, The Reverend Horton Heat. You have to love a band that’s given us such classics as “Bales Of Cocaine,” “Wiggle Stick,” and “Nurture My Pig.” The Reverend Horton Heat’s newest offering, Lucky 7 is exactly what you’d expect from The Rev: straight forward, hard bass-slapping psychobilly about girls and divorce, cars, Jimbo, and drinking.
From some of The Rev’s songs about relationships, you get the feeling that he’s had some pretty bad breakups. “Galaxy 500” bemoans the settlement fallout of a divorce with its own peculiar view on things (“You take the fish, I’ll take the bowl, …while you’re at it, take my soul… but things ain’t so bad, ‘cuz I got a Galaxy 500”). “Go With Your Friends” lets the unfaithful lady know that while she’s out cavorting with her friends, The Rev isn’t going to be sitting at home polishing silver.
It’s not all about bad relationships though; there are always cars to think about. Like the aforementioned “Galaxy,” “Reverend Horton Heat’s Big Blue Car,” “Like A Rocket,” and “Suicide Doors” all sing the praises of cars, kustom and otherwise just plain dangerous, with The Reverend and company’s customary eloquence about their beloved vehicles.
And where would the good Reverend be without his trusty friend, Jimbo? The last two tracks, “Sermon on the Jimbo” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Jimbo,” extol the virtues of bass player Jimbo Wallace. To know Jimbo is to love him.
So we’ve covered girls, divorce, cars and Jimbo. What’s left? Drinking! The first single, “Loco Gringos Like a Party” is a biographical peek at local Austin, Texas stalwarts The Loco Gringos, a group that drives around in a hearse painted with flames and drinking, dancing skeletons on the sides of the car and empty tequila bottles lining the roof. With such rich source material, I’m surprised there aren’t more song dedicated to Loco Gringos.
Lucky 7 is textbook Reverend Horton Heat – well-crafted songs about all the important things in life coupled with their trademark pyschobilly style.
Artemis Records: http://www.artemisrecorrds.com • The Reverend Horton Heat: http://www.reverendhortonheat.com
