Dispensing with the alternative-rock leanings of some of his earlier albums like
Liquor in the Front
,
Reverend Horton Heat
returns with his sixth album
Spend a Night in the Box
, which features a clean, traditional rockabilly sound, courtesy of producer (and former
Butthole Surfer
)
Paul Leary
. The stripped-down sound of songs like
"Big D Boogie Woogie"
and
"The Girl in Blue"
is all the better to show off the amazing chops of the
Reverend
and the other two-thirds of the trio, bassist
Jimbo Wallace
and drummer
Scott Churilla
. The group's old punkabilly venom resurfaces on
"Sue Jack Daniels,"
and while most of the songs recount
the Reverend
's usual litany of babes and booze,
"It Hurts Your Daddy Bad"
"The Bedroom Again"
show surprising lyrical depth. Though there's some filler, for the most part
is another album of entertaining, revved-up rockabilly from a group that has made it look effortless for years. ~ Heather Phares