Western Star (label)
22 March 2010 (released)
28 March 2010
If you are of the Rockabilly persuasion there are some real delights to be found in ‘Hairdo’s & Heartaches’ and there is plenty here for the rest as well.
JRS are not one of the Psychobilly crew and they don’t do the ‘over the top’ Stray Cats kind of thing with huge quiffs and outrageous jackets – their music does their talking and the talking is pretty clear. They have real heart and the feel of early Elvis or Buddy Holly and their sound is absolutely classic.
Landon Filer hits a mean slap bass, backed up by Paul Saunders massive drumming and Darren Lince plays a mean guitar, full of menace and reverb but singer/songwriter Bob Butfoy takes the plaudits for completely authentic vocal stylings and a wicked way with a lyric.
The title track sounds as though it was rooted in the Liverpool scene of the sixties and Lince’s guitar is all jangly but that is followed by ‘Shake Rag’ and the atmosphere and the tempo goes up a notch, well away from the light and into the dark of a Mid-Western Saturday night and featuring some super harp playing.
‘The Gift’ is a big old rockabilly boomer but ‘Skin’ is just plain sleaze and teenage experimentation with the wonderful chorus “masturbation baby ain’t no crime, you show me your and I’ll show you mine; it’s all just skin”.
They can do romantic as well as sleazy but it is on the hard and nasty stuff where they excel – ‘Typhoon’ and ‘The Prisoner’ both take your mind to some ancient places but ‘21st Century Bettie Paige’ is the hardest and the best number on the album.
Jack Rabbit Slim have been getting plaudits from all over and this album just adds to their reputation – can’t wait to see them do it live.
