Disc One
The first disc opens with a cover of “Lovesick Blues,” one of my personal favorite Hank Williams songs, but one that interestingly he did not write. It was written by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills. I always loved seeing Jon Svetkey cover this one. And here Pete Mancini certainly does a wonderful job with it, deftly tackling that great vocal part, which is not easy. “And I don’t know what I’ll do/All I do is sit and sigh, oh lord/That last long day she said goodbye/Well, lord, I thought I would cry/She’ll do me, she’ll do you/She’s got that kind of lovin’/Lord, I love to hear her when she calls me sweet daddy.” This recording also features some nice work by Chris James on pedal steel. That’s followed by “You Win Again.” This is one of the many songs I first heard done by the Grateful Dead. Gene Casey And The Lone Sharks deliver a seriously good rendition. In addition to a strong vocal performance, this track features some delightful work by Paul Scher on saxophone. Then Caroline Doctorow delivers a moving rendition of “Cold, Cold Heart.” What a beautiful vocal performance, and she is joined by Grayson Hugh on vocals. I also love Gary Oleyar’s work on fiddle.
The Lucky Ones give us a lively and fun rendition of “I’m A Long Gone Daddy,” featuring a wonderfully raw vocal performance, as well as some good work on guitar and harmonica. And I dig that percussion. These guys change the line “You never shut your mouth until I blow my top” to “You never shut it down until I blow my top.” That’s followed by Mary Lamont’s rendition of “You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave).” Ah, but does any of us really change? My guess is she’ll end up leaving. But in the meantime, she delivers a completely enjoyable vocal performance. And having a female vocalist gives another possible meaning to the line “Packin’ and unpackin’ your junk.” This track also features some good work by Jim Marchese on guitar, and by Skip Krevens on pedal steel. “You just keep nagging all the day long/It’s got to stop, I don’t mean please.”
Lone Pine Radio Boys deliver a sweet rendition of “Crazy Heart,” featuring a really nice vocal performance and more good work on pedal steel. “I knew you’d wake up and find her missing/I tried my best to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen/You told me I was wrong and thought that you were smart/So go on and break, you crazy heart.” This disc takes us from a crazy heart to a cheating heart, with Allen Santoriello’s cover of “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” “The time will come when you’ll be blue/Your cheatin’ heart will tell on you.” Yet mixed with the anger, there is love in the delivery, which gives the song a greater emotional impact. Plus, I like Larry Ketchell’s work on piano. And fellow Cadillac Moon member Dave Noyes plays on bass on this track. That’s followed by “Honky Tonkin’” by Willie Steel. This is a fun number. This track originally appeared on Hank Williams Uncovered – The Backyard Sessions, an album recorded live in the back yard of Paradiddle Studio (and available to download for free on the Paradiddle Records website). This release contains good liner notes, but one thing that is missing is the name of the pianist on this track. And that work on piano is one of the track’s best features. And check out Jim Uhl’s work on fiddle.
This album’s rendition of “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)” features a strong vocal performance by Annie Mark, backed by some sweet work by Chris James on both pedal steel and electric guitar. That’s followed by “Move It On Over.” I did not know this was a Hank Williams song for a long time. When I was a child, the George Thorogood rendition was released, and it got a lot of airplay in Massachusetts. That was the first recording of it I heard, so I always associated the song with Thorogood. Here Gerry McKeveny gives us a good country rendition, which of course has a more relaxed vibe than does the Thorogood version. I particularly dig that work by Mark Mancini on piano. Pete Mancini plays slide guitar and provides backing vocals on this track. The first disc concludes with “Jambalaya (On The Bayou).” As the liner notes mention, this is Hank Williams’ most covered song. I heard many covers of it before finally hearing the Hank Williams recording. On this release, Chris James gives us a totally enjoyable rendition. The track features some excellent work by Scotty Micciche on harmonica. Yeah, this song is a party. It is “big fun,” as promised.
Disc Two
The second disc opens with Mick Hargreaves’ incredibly cool take on “Half As Much.” I love the way his rendition builds. It just gets better and better. Chloe Halpin and Jennifer Pawlikzak provide some great harmony vocals. And then that bluesy instrumental section is just so damn good, particularly the work on guitar. This is one of the disc’s highlights. It is followed by another highlight, Roger Street Friedman’s version of “Alone & Forsaken,” a song with a somber sound. This song has an interesting note: though written by Hank Williams, he did not release a recording of it during his lifetime. It’s an excellent song, and this version features some outstanding work by Larry Campbell, who plays fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin, electric guitar and bass. I particularly like his work on fiddle and mandolin. Roger Street Friedman delivers a strong and heartfelt vocal performance. This is one of my favorite tracks. And then we get this disc’s most fun track, “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It,” as done by The HooDoo Loungers. Yes, there is one great track after another. Last year, this band put out a delicious disc of original tunes, So Beautiful, which I highly recommend checking out. And they do a wonderful job on this song. This track is a delight, in no small part because of the work from the horn section. By the way, “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It” is another song that was not written by Hank Williams. But his version became a hit.
“Why Don’t You Love Me” is another of Hank Williams’ big hits. Claudia Jacobs slows this song down just a bit and delivers a cool rendition with something of a New Orleans flavor. Dan Koontz starts it off on tuba, and then the rest of the musicians come in. In addition to the tuba, this track features some wonderful work on fiddle and piano. That’s Lora Kendall on fiddle, and Dan Koontz also is on piano. Then The Haymakers give us “Honky Tonk Blues,” their version having a delicious rockabilly flavor, particularly in the vocal work and that great stuff on guitar. Yes, it is yet another highlight. It’s interesting how it slows down just as it’s about to end. The Haymakers then are the backing band for Donna Domingo on her cover of “Hey Good Lookin’,” one of Hank Williams’ more playful songs, a light number that is also one of his most popular recordings. Donna Domingo does a wonderful job with it, and I love that bass lead.
Hank Stone’s rendition of “Wearin’ Out Your Walkin’ Shoes” is another delight. It’s a song about a woman’s effect on a man. “It’s better to talk with ‘em than to talk about ‘em/A woman will give you the blues/She’ll have you talking to yourself/And wearing out your walkin’ shoes.” In addition to his friendly and endearing vocal performance, Hank Stone delivers some good work on harmonica. Pete Mancini plays dobro on this track. That’s followed by Weeping Willows’ cover of “Lost Highway.” This one was not written by Hank Williams, but by Leon Payne. This track features some nice stuff by Ken Korb on harmonica, and a strong bass line by Joseph Patti. For just a moment, it seems to be ending, then goes into a cool instrumental section, featuring excellent work on guitar. “Take my advice or you’ll curse the day/You started rolling down that lost highway.” Things then get fun with Tom Santoriello’s rendition of “Settin’ The Woods On Fire,” another tune that Hank Williams did not compose. This rendition is yet another delight, complete with fiddle and washboard.
This collection of Hank Williams covers concludes with a couple of lonesome songs, starting with “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” this rendition by Ken Korb and Lora Kendall, who do a great job with it. It has a loose, back porch vibe. I love that transition from fiddle lead to harmonica lead. And then, of course, we get “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” one of Hank Williams’ most well-known songs. I love how Annie Mark and Chris James handle this one, with that deep, slow vibe, fitting with lines like “When time goes crawling by.” Oh yes, I can just lose myself in this recording. And toward the end a couple of lines are delivered a cappella. This is an excellent conclusion to a fantastic two-disc set.
CD Track List
Disc One
- Lovesick Blues – Pete Mancini
- You Win Again – Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks
- Cold, Cold Heart – Caroline Doctorow
- I’m A Long Gone Daddy – The Lucky Ones
- You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave) – Mary Lamont
- Crazy Heart – Lone Pine Radio Boys
- Your Cheatin’ Heart – Allen Santoriello
- Honky Tonkin’ – Willie Steel
- I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You) – Annie Mark
- Move It On Over – Gerry McKeveny
- Jambalaya (On The Bayou) – Chris James
Disc Two
- Half As Much – Mick Hargreaves
- Alone & Forsaken – Roger Street Friedman
- My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It – HooDoo Loungers
- Why Don’t You Love Me – Claudia Jacobs
- Honky Tonk Blues – The Haymakers
- Hey Good Lookin’ – Donna Domingo
- Wearin’ Out Your Walkin’ Shoes – Hank Stone
- Lost Highway – Weeping Willows
- Settin’ The Woods On Fire – Tom Santoriello
- I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome – Ken Korb & Lora Kendall
- I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Annie Mark & Chris James
Hank Williams Uncovered was released on May 12, 2023 on Paradiddle Records.
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