It took only a couple of
moments of listening to Howl before
The Howlin’ Brothers became one of my new favorite bands and I was calling
friends to rave about them. I love the way they belt out the lyrics. There is
something deliciously raw in their delivery, particularly on the first couple
of tracks. Not that they can’t sound sweet when they want to. Just listen to
“Just Like You” or “Mama Don’t You Tell Me.” Then they show they’re also
accomplished musicians on a bluegrass tune like “Julia Belle Swain.”
But this band is not just
bluegrass – it’s country, folk, blues, even some New Orleans grooves on a song
like “Delta Queen.” And whatever type of music the band is playing, they infuse
it with their own infectious energy and enthusiasm. This band seduces you with
the subtlety of a freight train. (These guys would be a great double bill with
Holly Golightly And The Brokeoffs.) Most of the album’s tracks are originals.
“Big Time,” the album’s
opening track, sounds just a bit like “Walkin’ Blues” at the beginning before
the vocals come in. But the moment the vocals start, any similarity ceases.
This is great raw kick-ass country folk. It is not refined, not polished – just
some damn good fun. The song’s lyrics are simple, with lines like “Goin’ down south, gonna have a real big time”
and “Goin’ down south/Gonna make you moan
and howl.” And yes, the song even has a bit of howling in it. There is also
something of a good jam. Warren Haynes co-wrote this one, and performs on it. (You know him from his work with the Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule and Phil Lesh And Friends.)
“Hermitage Hotstep” is
like back porch folk, if the porch were attached to a brothel with a dance
floor. Take your medicine, dance with your cousin (but only ‘cause she’s
prettier than your sister). “No, I don’t
want no gal who lives in NYC/I just want a gal with me in Tennessee.”
They get to the bluegrass
on “Julia Belle Swain,” a tune written by John Hartford. This song shows these
guys really can play, and its quick tempo will get you moving.
“Gone” has a seriously
catchy groove, plus features some fun stuff on fiddle and some delightful
lyrics. “She warned me once, warned me twice/But I don’t take no woman’s advice/And
I’m gone, gone, gone.” And before the end of it I am singing along,
shouting “Gone” along with them. On
an album that is truly full of excellent material, this might be my favorite. “You stole my heart, and now you want to give
it back.”
“Delta Queen” has that
great New Orleans groove. I can totally imagine Dr. John digging this and
covering it. It has that great Mardi Gras party atmosphere. (I could do without
the false ending, but that is a small matter.)
They then do an
interesting version of the blues on “Tennessee Blues,” a song with a somewhat
jazzy feel to the drumming. This is a groovy late-night gem. I enjoy the
backing vocals, which surprised me the first time I heard them, and which help
to give the song an old-time feel. The backing vocals feel more like those from
an old cowboy song, and they totally work.
“My Dog Can’t Bark,”
written by Otis Smothers, is a wild tune that quickly sneaks up on you. It’s a
fierce, bluesy song with some good jamming.
It’s that “whoa” part that really gets me on “Tell
Me That You Love Me” and makes me love the song – like a demented choir left on
the range by an evil nun with a whip and a nearly empty flask of whiskey. The
song has a great urgency, as he repeats, “Tell
me that you love me/Tell me that it’s true/Make my heart bleed/Make me feel
real.” It’s sort of a love song, but it’s not about sweet talk, as there’s
no time for that as he’ll likely be bitten by a rattlesnake soon if she doesn’t
yield.
“Just Like You” has a
wonderful, easy-going bluegrass groove, with a dose of blues-folk. “Blues in my whiskey/Blues in my tea/Ain’t it
just like you, babe/To put the blues in me.” And hell, it has a kazoo. So
there.
“Take This Hammer” is more
of that fast-paced manic bluegrass music that we all love. Their playing is seriously
impressive on this track. And when they slow it down near the end, their vocals
sound wonderful.
Yonder Mountain String
Band turned me onto the tune “Boatman Dance” years ago. The Howlin’ Brothers do
more of a hoedown-type version, and it’s a lot of fun. And the backing vocals
on the “Steamboat John” lines have me
laughing out loud every time.
“Mama Don’t You Tell Me,”
the album’s last track, begins a cappella with several guest vocalists, and
sounds beautiful. This is a sweeter tune, and I really like it.
CD Track List
- Big Time
- Hermitage Hotstep
- Julia Belle Swain
- Gone
- Delta Queen
- Tennessee Blues
- My Dog Can’t Bark
- Tell Me That You Love Me
- Just Like You
- Take This Hammer
- Boatman Dance
- Mama Don’t You Tell Me
The Howlin’ Brothers are
Ben Plasse on upright bass, banjo and vocals; Ian Craft on fiddle, banjo and
vocals; and Jared Green on guitar, harmonica and vocals.
Howl is scheduled to be released on March 5, 2013 on Readymade
Records through Thirty Tigers.
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