The Mother Truckers - Broke Not Broken (2007)

The Mother Truckers took five years to record a followup to their debut CD, Something Worth Dying For, and that is a very long time between releases for any band trying to hit the big time. I don't know The Truckers back story so I have no idea why there was such a long wait before their sophomore effort, Broke Not Broken, saw the light of day. Nevertheless, the Austin, TX based country-rockers have turned out another album of great songs that their loyal fans will be certain to cruise to in their pickup trucks or party with on a Saturday night.

Gone are the small unedited musical snippets and patter between tracks that gave Something Worth Dying For a looser feel. The new disc is more meticulously produced than their debut and the tighter arrangements make it a more mature set of songs. The band's website describes The Mother Truckers as "a kick-ass rock 'n' roll band" but there are still enough pedal steels and dobros in their music, as well as a strong dose of Texas and the deep South in their lyrics, to brand them as a country band too. One of the two founding Truckers, lead guitarist Josh Zee, unleashes some very non-country, flaming throwing, rock 'n roll solos. He is the "kick-ass" member of the band.

Teal Collins can easily sing rock, country, ballads, or screamers. Broke Not Broken's best track is a cover of the Bonnie Raitt/Chris Smither classic "Love Me Like A Man" in which she shows off every vocal trick she owns. There is nothing country about this arrangement. It's just a straight ahead blues in which both she and Zee give inspired performances. The rest of the CD was written by Collins and Zee together.

Apparently we won't have to wait another five years for their next CD because a new one is slated for release later this year.

The Mother Truckers are even better live. They are a must see if you ever make it to Austin.

Comments

  1. Anonymous5:42 PM, April 18, 2008

    LOVE this band. so musical, so fresh, and so FUN.

    i get to see them in cleveland oh next month and i am counting the seconds!

    ReplyDelete
  2. William Kates11:35 PM, April 25, 2008

    On your recommendation I caught them live in Austin during SXSW last month. They were great, thanks Charlie!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more