| The Texas-based trio Reverend Horton Heat has been in dire need of a
solid album, and, luckily, Spend a Night in the Box is it. The middling
material that overruled the lukewarm albums It's Martini Time and Space
Heater has been scrapped in favor of strictly swinging material, buoyant
rockabilly, and a handful of good ol' fashioned stomp. The fun kicks in
from the get-go with frontman "Reverend" Jim Heath lost inside of a paranoid
Cool Hand Luke fantasy; it sounds like sweat and tastes like bourbon.
Speaking of bourbon, "Sue Jack Daniels" dives headfirst into the trio's
notorious psychobilly sound, upping the tempo and feedback until the whole
thing boils over. Other standout cuts include the thumping "It Hurts Your
Daddy Bad" and the trucker fantasy "Sleeper Coach Driver." Spend a Night
in the Box, produced by Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers, is reverently
retro and proudly rock & roll. |
