Bill Kirchen – Raise A Ruckus

Since his glory days with Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen from the late ’60s to mid-’70s, guitarist Bill Kirchen has been plying his trademark brand of roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll in bars across America. His latest album for HighTone finds Kirchen continuing to draw from a variety of roots, especially Western swing (“Big Hat, No Cattle”), blues (“Man In The Bottom Of The Well”), and honky-tonk (“Let The Fire Burn Out”).

With the help of producer Austin DeLone, Kirchen successfully branches out into some new sounds. The sublime swamp-pop of Clay Blaker’s “My Heart Has A Mind of Its Own” features nice brass parts from the San Antonio Horns’ Louis Bustos and Al Gomez Jr.; “Dreamworld” has a nice, subtle mariachi feel.

Drummer Jack O’Dell and bassist Johnny Castle, Kirchen’s touring bandmates, are augmented by a bevy of Texas musicians, including Flaco Jimenez on accordion, Blaker on vocals and acoustic guitar, and DeLone on guitar, piano, organ and harmonies. Kirchen’s wife Louise duets on the country waltz “True Love’s The Treasure”, in addition to writing or co-writing several of the album’s songs.

Some of Kirchen’s trademark Telecaster licks turn up on the title track and on “Livin’ Dangerously”, which is driven by an incessant boogie riff and fiddling from Bobby Flores. But except for the closing “Interstate”, the album lacks the high-octane diesel-billy that made Kirchen’s previous efforts so enjoyable. This overall lack of fire makes Raise A Ruckus less satisfying than its predecessors, despite the promise of its title.