Reverend Horton Heat – Its Martini Time

Imagine Ted Nugent deciding he needed to form a country band, and he might create something that resembles the Reverend Horton Heat. This psychotic rockabilly trio from Dallas features the percussive guitar work and vocals of Jim Reverend Horton Heath, the fiery, double-bass playing and vocals of Jimbo Wallace, and the rollicking rhythms of Scott Churchilla, who recently replaced Taz Bentley (now with Tenderloin) on drums.

Their fourth album is comprised of 14 barn-burning, hell-blazing tales of fast cars, broken cigarettes, the perfect martinis, the unorthodox love life of a lonely cowpoke, and the superficial, harsh, shallow world of showbiz. The songs move, shake, roll, pulsate, and display the energy, humor and fire that make every Horton Heat album a keeper and their live shows a sweaty scene to embrace.

The mood of the album brings to mind race cars, cartoons, smoky lounges, cheap booze and 60s motorcycle gang movies. Heaths reedy voice perfectly meshes with his hollow body guitar sound and the rich tone of Jimbo’s double bass. Churchilla’s drumming is driving and hard, fully capable of meeting the needs of this loud and demanding outfit.

Its Martini Time displays the variety of approaches this band takes to its music. The title song features a quick western swing beat; they take on 50 rockabilly in Rock this Joint. Slingshot sounds like an instrumental theme song to a cartoon, while Cowboy Love is a classic country two-step about interracial, gay cowboy love. Now, Right Now brings out the bands punkish enthusiasm of the band and finds them bringing the tempo to a feverish climax. The closing Thats Showbiz is spoken over a smoky, slow jazz background and depicts the shallow, seedy side of The Business.

Its Martini Time is the perfect soundtrack for a trip to the pool hall, poker parlor, dive bar or roadhouse. And if you look really closely, you might catch a glimpse of The Reverend in a guest appearance on a rerun of NBCs Homicide.