A Roadmap for Rock ‘n’ Roll Paradise: The New Record from The Righteous Hillbillies

The cover photo of the new Righteous Hillbillies record, taken by Kevin Selph, is a beautiful shot of a long, desolate road leading into a tree lined tunnel. More than a perfect complement to the record title, Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway, it is actually an invitation. Pack your bags, leave your inhibitions in the dust, and ride into the rock ‘n’ roll emporium of pleasure, aggression, and avid enlargement of each moment. Rock ‘n’ roll has always pulled off the parlor trick of offering listeners an escape, but not an escape from reality – an escape into a reality larger than the one of the everyday. Rock ‘n’ roll, in its best moments, communicates the intensity of life that is available to those ready for the ride.

The Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway ride is one of excitement and fun, with unbeatable musical scenery. It moves fast and requires a seatbelt, but the excellence of the drivers gives it an ongoing thrill. Brent James, the lead songwriter, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist, directs the band with the energy and skill of a great frontman. His vocals soar, whether he is down in the swamps with bad intentions and a dirty mind or he is moving down the highway at one hundred miles an hour, searching for freedom. James’ voice carries with it the rock ‘n’ roll soul of audible influences, Bob Seger and John Mellencamp. His passenger pilot is Nick Normando, a young guitar prodigy who sounds like he is old enough to have learned directly from the Southern Rock masters in Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. Having grown up listening to those bands, he brings a youthful heart together with an old soul; stunning with his solos and adding eclectic color with his fills.

Normando on lead guitar is one of the lineup changes that The Righteous Hillbillies have made since their previous record, The Muscle Shoals Sessions, another of which is that Chris Bartley has joined the band, full time, on keyboards. Bartley is a wild, but controlled player who can add the sounds of a carnival, honky tonk dance, and roadhouse rocker whenever necessary. On the slower material, his organ gives a gospel lift; adding to the power and purpose of the musical ride. He also makes his contribution as a songwriter. His “Call Me a Doctor” is a Dr. John meets Joe Cocker funk fest, mapping a delightful detour on an otherwise straightforward rock record.

Barrett Harvey, as drummer, is like rolling thunder, but more than a powerhouse turning every tune into an enjoyable assault, he is an innovative craftsman. His performance on the sticks lends the listener many joyful surprises, even within the familiar structure of rock ‘n’ roll music. Enhancing the Harvey foundation is Jeff Bella on bass, but like Harvey, Bella is not one to quietly play a part. His bass lines, walk ups, and flashes of color make all the songs on the record unpredictable.

What all of these players cohesively contribute to the material makes Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway a destination worth exploring for every rock ‘n’ roll music fan. One of the later songs on the record, “Down To Memphis,” is a blues-inflected slide guitar-driven soul shouter about a young man leaving his troubles for the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. James sings with the passion of a man busting out of jail, and Normando takes ownership of the road with guitar solos so combustible they nearly melt the speakers.

Once I get to Beale Street

I’ll find a cheap motel

I’ll hide away for all my day

Forget about that hell

I’m going down, down to Memphis

I can hear that gypsy moan…

Memphis is an essential stop on Righteous Hillbillies musical tour down a lost highway. The musical creation is sympathetic and symbiotic with the early rock ‘n’ roll of Sun Studio. The aggression, hedonism, and let loose, devil may care white and black blend of the music touches back to Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, but with the funk of the blues, maintains a hint of Howlin’ Wolf. It is simple and pleasurable music, but the urges and impulses it expresses and exercises are as complicated as the lives that inspired it.

The late legend Lemmy Kilmister, of Motorhead, often talked about how his brand of heavy metal was merely a faster and harder version of ‘50s rock. While the Righteous Hillbillies play with greater volume and velocity than the earliest rock pioneers, they do not reach Motorhead level. This is not a flaw. It is simply a result of style and influence. They broadcast the raucous, ribald, and rollicking Rolling Stones style rock ‘n’ roll in one moment, show shades of Skynyrd in another, and then add the riff based blues-rock of both vintage and contemporary popularity throughout the record. There is a Black Keys and Jack White quality to the musicality of the riffs, and the way in which the songs emanate out of that solid starting point. Brent James’ voice is stronger, and more soulful, than White’s, making the Hillbillies music entirely their own. The only label fitting for rock ‘n’ roll that pulls together all of these influences, but manages to maintain a singular identity, is righteous.

Not all of the songs feel righteous, however. There is enough dirt, grease, and anger on the record to complicate the emotional delivery, and make the music pack a more powerful punch. “Throwin’ Stones” and “Drama Zone” take on interpersonal conflict with monstrous riffs, and blues flavor, to express rage at betrayal and backstabbing. “Shackles and Chains” is a plea for forgiveness and release from a lover’s scorn, but it is one made with energy, intensity, and another element of Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway: the soul groove.

When I interviewed Kirk Hammett, of Metallica, about their classic self-titled record, otherwise known as the Black Album, he said that one of their goals in the writing and recording of the record was to imbue all of the songs with the “soul groove.” It is that quality palpable in the body. Every song on Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway, with the sole exception of the closer, provokes foot tapping, head bopping, and hip shaking. Each song is also carefully constructed to get into the chorus quickly, and develop an infectious appeal. The calculation is effective, because as soon as the record ends, one feels the immediate temptation to hit “repeat.”

In addition to soul groove maintenance, Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway passes the sexual rhythm test of rock ‘n’ roll. Just as Elvis claimed he could not control his hips while on stage, even when the police warned him to stand still, all great rock should generate gyration.

Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway grows and gains with each repeated play. The whimsical soul of “Rollin,’” becomes more joyful with every chorus. The bitter and tough kiss off of “Throwin’ Stones” hits harder in the heart every time; it is an AC/DC meets hillbilly hybrid of raw rock combat. “Shake This Feeling” is a country rocker that swings in the melancholy territory between Waylon Jennings and “Dead Flowers.” The title track borrows from the best of Bob Seger to celebrate the “biker’s code” of finding freedom on the open road with a heartland style as irresistible as a green light.

“All Down but Nine” is a brilliant number of aggression in the name of lust – a come on smile in the tradition of the libidinous trickster of rock folklore. Taken from the Wild West lingo and bowling vernacular, the title translates to a feeling of misunderstanding. In the context of Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway, it is an invitation to a married woman for escapist fun, even if she is confused over the narrator’s intentions. The song achieves a hard rock beauty, and maintains a rolling energy, that sweeps away all hesitation. It is instantly accessible, and immediately memorable.

It is one of the standout tracks, but does open up the debate of preference. There are certain moments in the record where a little less keyboard, and a little more bottom end, might serve the song better. Then, there are other moments when a little more indulgence might have made the listening experience even more enjoyable. Typically, a listener wants a band more controlled, but here the material and delivery are both so strong, that one wouldn’t might a little opening up. Most of the songs are short, and on the title track in particular, one begs to hear Brent James open up vocally in the end, and let the music resist the fade out a little longer. These are less complaints than options of luxury. Some might like a twist of lime in their tequila, and others might like a lemon. The most important point here is that the drink is strong and full of flavor.

The Righteous Hillbillies made a strong and surprising choice for the album closer – a spirited, gospel testimony rendition of the Utah Phillips folk song, “Rock, Salt, and Nails.” James’ voice is magnificent, and the quiet presentation from the band provides colorful contrast with the rest of the record. To close an album as energetic and lascivious as Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway with a quiet, acoustic ballad is brave, and it reminds the listener of John Mellencamp’s similar conclusions of American Fool and Uh Huh.

The movement of Two Wheels Down a Lost Highway is one of rock ‘n’ roll greatness giving the listener a feel good incentive to live with more aggression. James’ ferocious vocalization of enticement toward the object of his affection in “All Down But Nine” can double as an invitation to every listener looking for an enhancement of rock ‘n’ roll and emotional engagement with what living makes available. It is all there for those willing to listen closely.

I got your remedy if you follow me

Honey, you got something I gotta see

You got me crazy, got me ready for sin

Got me checking my condition for the shape I’m in

Well, I’m down, all down but nine…

David Masciotra is the author of Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky, 2015), and Metallica (a 33 1/3 book from Bloomsbury, 2015), and the forthcoming Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishing).