Hank Williams III slates new CD for October
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 – Hank Williams III will put new music, "Damn Right Rebel Proud," Oct. 21 on Sidewalk Records. Hank III, the grandson of Hank Williams, completed the video for the first single as well, Long Hauls & Close Calls.
The disc apparently combines his hard rock and traditional country sides. Of the single, Hank III said, "It's got a little bit of the scream for the kids in black and a little bit of the banjo and Dobro for the country folks."
This is Williams' first CD since "Straight to Hell" in 2006 on Curb Records. "That was a big one for me, man," he said. "Rock kids that don't listen to country understood it. That record really had an impact."
On the new CD, Wild & Free has a rollicking, Buck Owens flavor; Me & My Friends is "a standard, good ol' country song;" the populist anthem If You Can't Help Your Own addresses the current U.S. government;" and the closing Workin' Man, a duet with the tune's author, writer/artist/construction worker Bob Wayne, sounds like an Alan Lomax field recording from the 1930s.
Recorded in HIII's east Tennessee home with friends over a two-week period, the album's magnum opus is the 10-minute symphony in 3 movements P.F.F., which he describes as "a high-energy, get-drunk singalong." He dedicates it to late shock rocker G.G. Allin. "The hobo kids, the train-hopping kids, they all love Hank Williams and G.G. Allin," he said. "And they've bled into our audience."
"Most of the time everybody's gettin' along," he said. "Most of the trouble we've had has been with the security, not the kids. I'm still tryin' to keep one half happy and the other half satisfied by flip-floppin' the shows" between stone country, punk and metal sets. "We're just doin' what we're doin', and people see the realness in that."
The disc also includes 3 Shades of Black, which climaxes with a bloodcurdling scream, and Stoned & Alone, a country ballad. "My dad's version of that song would be The Pressure Is On,' he said. "I still live for the road; I don't live for a lady - I guess that's part of the problem."
On Candidate for Suicide, "All the things I'm talkin' about in that song - the rape, the drug abuse and feelin' on the outskirts of life, as G.G. would say - that's all true," he said. "But just because you're a candidate doesn't mean you're gonna go through with it. I've got no respect for anyone who tries to take the easy way out. Unless you can't take care of yourself or stuff like that, I'm always standin' for you to hold onto life as much as you can. There's a huge amount of depression out there, and that's really what the song's about. 'Candidate for Suicide' is dark, but it's not sayin' do it; it's just talkin' about how it crosses your mind a good bit."
CD reviews for Hank Williams III
Damn Right Rebel Proud
Honky tonk stink-stirrer Hank Williams III is back with the follow-up to the two-disk "Straight to Hell" with a less ambitious album, but one that is just as defiant and potentially offensive. Once again, however, Williams shows he's a damn good songwriter who aims his pen at more demons and enemies than seems possible for one man.
Williams channels his inner John Anderson on the straight-ahead populist anthem If You Can't Help Your Own and gets help from Marty Stuart on »»» |
Straight to Hell
Compared to Hank III, most of what passes for outlaw music in Nashville these days isn't much more dangerous than your average truant middle schooler. Shelton Hank Williams III - grandson of a country diety, son of a country rock legend - has always known his path would be vastly different from either of his iconic predecessors, and he has never bowed to any pressure to be anything other than his own damn self.
Hank III has careened from unadulterated classic country to the punk music he played »»» |
Lovesick, Broke & Driftin'
When Hank Williams III wasn't happy with his first Curb album, he sent a verbal middle finger to his record label by disparaging the album in interviews. The result? Williams got to co-produce his second Curb record and wrote 12 of its 13 songs. And this time around, he has delivered a masterful album, full of sad, acoustic country-blues songs.
Many of the songs here tread the ground summarized by the album's title, depicting the hard life that Williams leads. The best is "Whiskey, Weed & Women," »»» |
Editorial: A fine night for Taylor Swift –
Taylor Swift's showing at the Country Music Association awards Wednesday night was no surprise. In some respects, it was invigorating to see someone who was not male and not around umpteen years like some of her male counterparts take home the biggest prize of the night, entertainer of the year. »»»
Concert Review: Radney Foster sparks a revival –
Radney Foster told fans that he came home from the University of the South one weekend early in his college career and told his parents in the wee hours of the morning that he wanted to quit college and head to Nashville to pursue a music career. His parents agreed...fortunately.
Three decades later, that resulted in Foster playing songs on this... »»»
Concert Review: Neko Case overcomes obstacles –
The opening of Neko Case's show was unusual to say the least. "I'm angry right now," said the red head. "We just had a big fight with the promoter. We're going to sing weird, but we're actually very happy to be here."
Making quite clear that she was not a happy camper, Case still channeled her musical energies... »»»
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