RSSSince I prefer my music savory, however, I'll be rooting stubbornly for Festus, Missouri's Bottle Rockets. Guitar-driven longhairs who trace their musical lineage to the Ramones and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they demonstrate their country affinities with descriptive lyrics that respect everyday life, like the used-car memoir Indianapolis or the bruised-relationship tale Smokin' 100's Alone. Chief writer-singer Brian Henneman commands notable bite in both capacities on their third and most hopefully radio-ready album, 24 Hours a Day (Atlantic).
Now recording for his fourth company, country veteran John Anderson has made a practice of revving up the effort on his label debut, and on Takin' the Country Back (Mercury) he outdoes himself. Leading off with Somebody Slap Me, a paean to the perfect woman ("beauty school diploma" "does her own plumbing"), Anderson successfully skirts Nashville sentimentality for an entire album. This doesn't mean he fails to deliver his trademark warmth--just that he doesn't neglect his trademark humor.
Playboy, Aug. 1997
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July 1997 | Sept. 1997 |  |