Thrillbilly – Black Top Open Road
My guess is that these Portland, Oregon, folks have spent more than a few minutes playing their old Stones albums. Theyve got that Keef rhythm down to a tee, and on the opening track, Held Against You, theyve even got the fairly direct influence (okay, so they borrowed it) of Dead Flowers, speeding away from the scene of the crime on a stolen 65 Belvedere.
And that pretty much sums up Thrillbilly. Theyre a rock n roll band whove let their minds be colored a little by country. And while there are performers like that all over the country, spending their weekends playing bars, roadhouses, etc., this lot knows how to write a good tune, such as Pieces or 62 Mercury, thats better than 90% of what ends up in my mailbox. And with those songs, all of which are pretty much about the young American experience, they just crank the amps and apply the magic. Theres nothing fancy about it at all, really. But then, good rock n roll never was fancy. Its meat-and-potatoes music that sticks to your ribs and warms your stomach, and makes you want to press the repeat button a few times while youre listening.
About the only ridiculous thing here is the extra track, Mult. Co. Jail, which does Thrillbilly no favors. Still, after kicking me in the ass 12 times, maybe they should be allowed to indulge themselves just a little bit, eh?