Groningen roots rock trio Reverse Cowgirls are actually three guys with a rather unusual sound and setup. Songwriters Joost Dijkema and Michiel Hoving both sing and play foot drums and guitars, while Harry Kingman handles the upright bass. This somewhat complicated yet very effective dynamic touches down like a roots music hurricane in 12 original songs on their new release from Off Label Records.
Off Label Records says Reverse Cowgirls’ music is “…a new way of enjoying roots music,” which is no doubt due to the fact that these fellas combine some unlikely styles — roots rock, rockabilly, hillbilly punk, bluegrass, and countrified southern rock. As far as new, I would go as far as to say the Reverse Cowgirls put their own spin on an already existing subgenre of today’s roots music, and that is saying something. Their sound is almost what I would imagine you would get from combining, say, the Sixtyniners, the Allman Brothers, Zeno Tornado & the Boney Google Brothers, and Old Man Markley. Of course, there is a reason that there is an element from the Sixtyniners in the Reverse Cowgirls’ sound: vocalist, guitarist and foot drummer Michiel Hoving was also involved in that project, with a 2010 album titled Too Drunk to Truck on Voodoo Rhythm Records.
As far as the standout tracks on Bucking, I would have to go with “Damn the Damage,” “Bad Luck & Trouble,” “Prairie Road,” “Looose,” and “Homemade Rust.” Check out the video for “Damn the Damage” attached to this review for an example of what the Reverse Cowgirls have given us with their album Bucking.
Bucking by Reverse Cowgirls is available from Off Label Records in both CD and vinyl formats.
