Hollisters – Sweet Inspiration
Other Texas bands may get the fleeting headlines and occasional Grammy nod, but bands such as Houston’s Hollisters give the Lone Star State its musical spine. The joy and authenticity they bring to honky-tonk makes you want to jump the back fence and join ’em in their peripatetic musical adventure.
This follow-up to their superb 1997 debut The Land Of Rhythm And Pleasure finds the boys in fine form. Electric guitarist/songwriter Eric Danheim has the ringing twang thang down pat, from the rousing Cajun-flavored stomper “Fishin’ Man” to the roaring rave-up “Love Rustler”, while bassist Denny “Cletus” Dale and drummer Kevin “Snit” Fitzpatrick could do the chunka-chunka bass-drum tandem behind the Supremes and make them sound like George Jones.
It would be easy to accuse singer-songwriter Mike Barfield of cashing in on his Cash influences, but what’s a baritone pitched to the Man In Black’s vocal range to do, sing soprano? And besides, there’s plenty of room on the honky-tonk shelf for more baritone balladry. And, anyway, on “Thrill Of The Ride” he sounds more like Waylon, so there.
Sitting in are Austin piano vet Earl P. Ball (Cash, Buck, etc.), fiddler Champ Hood and guitar-playing producer Casper Rawls; songwriting is donated by Tom Clifford and Talltopper Ted Roddy. The highlights are “Holes In The Road”, a genuine truckin’ song; “Two Trains”, with its infectious “woo woo” chorus; “Little Ol’ You”, “Tonkin'”, “Drinkin’ For Two” and, oh hell, all of ’em. Here’s a baker’s dozen of songs about trying to be a sensitive man in these insensitive times, performed by a band that believes it. Nothing fancy, but worth every lick.