
The Doohickeys
All Hat No Cattle
Forty Below Records
Los Angeles-based country-rock outfit The Doohickeys, made up of Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett, releases their debut long-player, All Hat No Cattle, produced, engineered, and mixed by twice Grammy-nominated producer Eric Corne.
The talent appearing on the album reads like a who’s who of musicians: Haley Brown (vocals, guitar), Jack Hackett (guitar), Eugene Edwards (guitar), Adam Arcos (bass), Aubrey Richmond (fiddle), Jordan Bush (pedal steel, banjo, harmonica), Matt Tecu (drums), Taylor Kropp (slide guitar), Sasha Smith (piano), Skip Edwards (piano), Hayley Orrantia (backing vocals), Phil Glenn (mandolin), and Jim Jefferies (voice-over).
Brown and Hackett met at USC, working on the college TV station’s whimsical news show. After discovering a shared love of country music, the pair began writing songs. When their songs started receiving attention and winning awards, they thought “Maybe we should make a record.”
That was the beginning of All Hat No Cattle.
Of the dozen tracks on the album, highlights include “Rein It In Cowboy,” a contagious, undiluted country rocker featuring dirty, almost swampy guitars riding a delicious mid-tempo rhythm topped by Brown’s delightfully raspy vocals.
With her Ma & Pa Kettle twangy voice, Brown imbues the lyrics of “This Town Sucks” with the wry wisdom of someone born, raised, and now stuck in a small hick town.
“This town sucks / This whole place blows / There’s nothing to do / Life here moves slow.”
A personal favorite because of its catchy, rolling motion, “I Don’t Give A Damn About Football” opens on low-slung guitars accented by a drawling steel guitar and then takes on brighter coloration as Brown reveals her true feelings about football.
Brimming with double-entendre, “I Wish My Truck Was Bigger” opens on a potent drum shuffle that rolls into a shimmering, swaying melody. Hackett and Brown take turns on the vocals, echoing the concept that size matters.
“Too Ugly To Hitchhike” blends tangs of Johnny Cash and Chris Isaak into a melody painted with hints of dark energy as Brown and Hackett trade stanzas. Clever lyrics show off The Doohickeys’ grasp of contemporary culture’s emphasis on exterior looks.
“If I was hot / Or even just a four / I’d be bound for Bakersfield / Instead of bein’ ignored.”
A luscious fiddle, gleaming guitars, and an evocative steel guitar travel on crisp percussion, giving the title track a big, layered sound. Brown’s vocals, vaguely reminiscent of Dolly Parton crossed with Shania Twain, infuse the lyrics with a charming Southern drawl.
Unpretentious and full of cutting, satirical lyrics, All Hat No Cattle is a humdinger of an album, pure country music at its best.