I’ve written about the good Rev. Deadeye a few times, but I talked more about his shows than his albums, so I’m here to say, “My what a difference a little production makes.” Deadeye’s earlier works were best described as a “frantic explosion of slide-guitar blues meets tent-revival preaching”, which is a polite way of calling them “muddy”, a result of them having been self-recorded with his travelling recording studio. On Trials and Tribulations he went into a studio in Europe and laid down an album in a day, and the blistering pace and frantic energy that must have been present in the studio that day comes through beautifully in the recordings.

The album is 10 tracks long and, make no doubt, has all the Deadeye signatures: revival preacher on a bender vocals, homemade guitar slide work, washtub kick-drum, and slide-finger cymbal bashing ever present throughout the album. Yet, it’s the album’s quietest moments that really shine a light on Deadeye’s abilities. With the clarity of production and tracks like “Coldest Heart” and (my favorite track) “Her Heart Belongs To The Wind”, you realize just how close Deadeye is to being mentioned in the same conversations as Scott H. Biram, all he needs is the same breaks. I’m gonna have to say the new Reverend Deadeye is Essential Listening, especially if you’re a fan of the aforementioned Scott H. Biram, or the One-Man Band scene in general, as he’s easily in the Top 10….press or not.

Reverend Deadeye – Her Heart Belongs To The Wind
Reverend Deadeye – Can’t Take It With You
Reverend Deadeye – Jesus On The Mainline

Reverend Deadeye on myspace, Buy Trials And Tribulations

Mathew Deriso has been a fixture here on ninebullets about as long as this site has been around. Really, judging from Plank Road Drag, one could say we’ve grown up together, had ninebullets continued to get better over the years. 9B’s shortcomings aside, Plank Road Drag is Mat D’s coming out party. Mat’s past records, be it solo or with his band, The Profane Saints, have all been fine records with plenty of tracks that still live on my iPods, but Plank Road Drag is the first album that gets an unadulterated rip into my inner digital network.

Plank Road Drag consists of 10 tracks largely featuring Mat and an acoustic guitar up front and center with a minimalist set of backing instrumentation. Honestly, I think Mat is best found in his element with this setup. He has a great voice and his lyrics are solid, both of which can get clouded out when he’s putting out material with The Profane Saints. Mat says that his songwriting approach changed while the band was working on recording The Profane Saints’ last album, Dirt Town City Limits, and if that’s the case I think he needs to stick on the path he started down, ‘cause Plank Road Drag was a 2 story step above anything he’s released to date. Odds on fave for my top 10 of the year, easily Essential Listening today.

Mat D – Ford Marriage
Mat D – Ribbon of Dirt

Mat D’s Official Site, Mat D on myspace, Buy Plank Road Drag

Man. This piece has been a long time coming. Not sure why it’s taken so long for me to getting around to mentioning these guys, but better late than never.

Coming out of Boone, North Carolina, Possum Jenkins is Nathan Turner, Jared Church, David Willis, Brent Buckner and David Brewer. The band met while at school and have released three albums to date, with Collection of Bad Habits being the most recent and only one I’ve heard. Sometimes sounding like a young Drive-By Truckers, while also sounding like a more rock and roll version of Mofro at other times, the album has a down-home richness to it that pulls me in and rarely disappoints throughout its 12 tracks.

On an interesting note, it seems like the bulk of Possum Jenkins’ 5 members are multi-instrumentalists rotating what they’re playing, both live and on Collection of Bad Habits. Not sure why, but I really like that. Anyhow, these guys don’t stray too far from their Carolina home so on CD seems like the only way the bulk of us are gonna catch these kids. So let me be the first to brand Collection of Bad Habits as Essential Listening and offer up an invitation to play the Tampa/St. Pete area of Florida.

Possum Jenkins – Bloodshot Eyes
Possum Jenkins – We Begin
Possum Jenkins – Reidsville

Possum Jenkins’ Official Site, Possum Jenkins on myspace, Buy Collection of Bad Habits

“If they wanted to call me Rumpelstiltskin, I would have done it to have the opportunity to make records. Johnny Cougar indeed.- John Mellencamp

Okay. Let’s get it out of our systems….get your John Cougar snickers…your “My Country” joke…your “Corporat…..ERR….Heartland rock joke….Get them all out of the way now. When you’re done we’ll talk about this release like adults.

Done? It’s okay, I get it. I’ll wait.
No, there is no need to apologize. Just get it out of your system and then give me a chance.

Okay? Ready?
Cool. I’ll start.

Somewhere between “John Cougar” and “My Country”, John Mellencamp became a punchline….

Oh, come On! What the fuck? I said get it out of your system and then give me a chance….
Okay? You ready? You sure? You really sure? Pinky promise? Okay….

Somewhere between “John Cougar” and “My Country”, John Mellencamp became a punchline. Hell, he became a punchline for me, too, and when I am honest, I don’t even know what the joke was. Truth is, Mellencamp was well played in my childhood home and I still like all of those songs. I don’t think I could name a single song between then and the infamous Chevy commercial, but that commercial managed to change my opinion of everything from “Rain On The Scarecrow” up to it. My opinion began to change back when Mellencamp’s Life, Death, Love and Freedom was released last year (review here). Seeing that his new box set, On The Rural Route 7609, was heavily populated with tracks from that album, I decided to look into it a little more.

On The Rural Route 7609 isn’t the typical ‘toss in the hits and a few b-sides, compiled money’ grab. Instead it’s a very well thought out and carefully assembled 4 disc release that seems more focused on theme and story than hit churning. Sometimes the collection lets you hear the birth and growth of a song, such as “Jenny At 16″ and the demo for “Jack and Diane” that eventually became the “Jack And Diane” we all know. I was even amazed to find that when all the pizazz and pop polish was stripped away from the infamous “My Country”, it fits perfectly into what Mellencamp has been writing his whole life.

Look, I know the odds of anyone still reading this at this point are slim to none and I know I can’t change anyone’s opinion on what Mellencamp is all about, but I will ask you this: If you’re truly honest with yourself, do you know why you view Mellencamp as a joke? Was it ’cause someone else said he was? Was it for the clap track in “Jack and Diane”? Was it for the Chevy commercial? Regardless of the reason, check out his last album. Perhaps download this box set from AmazonMP3. Listen to them. Perhaps, like me, you’ll find that we might have treated Mr. Mellencamp unfairly over the years….

I am gonna close this piece with the same liner notes quote that Adam Sheets used in his fantastic review for No Depression, ’cause I feel it’s as poignant as he did: “If he has not been properly credited for that groundbreaking role, it is largely because he committed the unforgivable sin of actually having hits while making innovative music. Part of the No Depression mythology requires either a tragic early death or decades of unacknowledged masterpieces created during a life of grueling poverty. Writing and recording great songs that millions of people like and buy is not part of that sentimental picture- regardless of how comfortably the music itself sits within the genre’s parameters. As Neil Young pointed out, sometimes you are made to pay a price for having hit records.”

John Mellencamp – Rain On The Scarecrow
John Mellencamp – To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)
John Mellencamp – Cherry Bomb (writing demo)

John Mellencamp’s Official Site, John Mellencamp on myspace, Buy On The Rural Route 7609

Take one part Texas country, one part southern rock, one part garage band mix them together with a pinch of anger and a dash of fierce independence and what you’ll get is Javi Garica and the Cold Cold Ground. The debut release from these New Braunfels boys is a two disc set, one full length with an EP, titled Southern Horror that landed in the midst of the Texas music scene swinging its fists and taking on all comers. The whole Texas/Red Dirt scene is independent but Javi Garcia takes that a step farther without going over the line into hyperbole. The title smacks of the “southern gothic” genre which I usually avoid but I heard the music first and it’s definitely not anything close to that. What it is pure Texas music and as usual it defies being placed solidly into a genre.

There’s not much out there on the history of Javi Garica and the Cold Cold Ground but the music speaks for itself. Sixteen tracks spread across two discs is a lot of music and the whole shindig starts out with a little murder ballad almost worthy of putting on a Mother’s Day compilation or maybe a Father’s Day compilation depending on your bent and the depths of your daddy issues. There are a few songs out there about disappearing an abusive asshole one way or another but the starkness of the music and the underlying fiddle makes this one of my favorites. “Voodoo Queen” kicks up the reverb a little bit with a rocker that wouldn’t be out of place in a seedy biker bar. The anger still shows through in “God and Country” and Javi almost reminds me of Michael Dean Damron with the way he belts out his anger in this one. A little bitterness at the scene shows through in “Lose Control” but not so much that it comes across as melodramatic. And that’s they way the next twelve tracks go as well. It’s almost as if Javi Garcia just opened up his closet, drug out a skeleton, fired up a bowl or knocked back a fifth with it and then proceeded to exorcise it in song. This is not a happy two discs and there are some dark themes but it’s full of damn good music. Hell you may even find some catharsis of your own in track or two. I recommend taking with whiskey, alone, in the dark and seeing if you can get what Lewis Grizzard refers to as “…crying about your daddy drunk” because this is the right kind of music to use a soundtrack for just that. And yes this is Essential Listening.

LP Tracks:
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Voodoo Queen
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – As Wicked As You
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Flood

EP Tracks:
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – The Pills
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Needles & Thread

Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground official website
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Twitter
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Myspace
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Facebook

Okay, I’ll just put it right out on front street. I’m pretty sure Brothers is gonna be my favorite album of 2010. The only competition I expect it to get is from the upcoming Two Cow Garage album, but it’s a tough one to beat. I mean, they even manage to make whistling in a song good in “Tighten Up”. When was the last time a song had decent whistling in it? Last I can think of is “Civil War” by Guns-n-Roses.

So there. It’s Essential Listening and I suspect everyone’s heard the cd and read a bazillion reviews about it by now so I’m not gonna write about that. Instead, I am gonna write about sticking with a band even though you’re not to sure you like where they’re headed. See, I “discovered” The Black Keys when I downloaded The Big Come Up and Thickfreakness, and by the time they released Rubber Factory I was a card carrying member of The Black Key’s fanboy club. A position that was only cemented in place when they came to town on their Rubber Factory tour and absolutely killed it in front of 100 (maybe) people at Skipper’s Smokehouse. Then came Magic Potion. Now, admittedly, it’s not a bad album, and on the rare occasion I hear it and I wonder why I don’t listen to it more than I actually do, but the point is it just doesn’t catch me like those first albums did. When Attack & Release came out it held my attention even less and I figured my run with The Black Keys was coming to an end. They were headed in one direction, and I was missing the huge fuzzed bluesy attack of the past. That said, I still picked up Dan’s solo cd (I listened to it twice) and seeing that a cd was produced by Auerbach is usually all I need to pick up an album by an artist I’ve never heard of.

Imagine my surprise when found myself giddy in musical love with “Tighten Up” and “Next Girl” after they initially leaked to the internet. I didn’t wanna get too excited but it became less and less possible with each listen to “Next Girl”. So, along came release day and there I was at my local music store with the worst album cover of 2010 in my hands waiting to see if the rest of the album could stack up with the lead singles. A question which, at this point, we all know my answer too. It’s like the band finally made the sound they were fishing for with Magic Potion and Attack & Release, and it took them finally spreading their wings a little under solo albums and projects like Blakroc for it to finally be realized. Personally, I am glad I stuck along for the ride. It makes me want to go back, knowing the end result, and listen to Magic Potion and Attack & Release in a different light. If I could only stop listening to Brothers…

The Black Keys – Next Girl (Live at Interface)
The Black Keys – Tighten Up (Live at Interface)
The Black Keys – Howlin’ For You (Live at Interface)

The Black Keys’ Official Site, The Black Keys on myspace, Buy Brothers

Come home from work. Let the dogs out and check the mail. Come in, make a whiskey and ginger, open up the packages and check out what cds I got that day.

That routine happens more often than not, week in and week out here at the ninebullets compound. Sometimes cd’s I’ve been waiting (or hoping) for are in the mailbox, while most times it’s bands I’ve not ever heard of. But there are the rare occasions where I get a cd I did not even know existed but, had I known, I would have been counting the days ’til it came. Such was the case when I took a pull from my Beam and opened an innocent enough looking envelope. As I pulled the cd out, I immediately saw the words “Eilen” and “Jewell” and none of the other packages mattered anymore. Did you know Eilen was releasing a tribute to Loretta Lynn? ‘Cause, before that moment I sure didn’t, but even before listening to a single note I knew it was gonna be awesome.

Butch Holler is the name of the Kentucky town in which Loretta Lynn was raised, so it only seems appropriate for it to also serve as the title of this tribute. Now, I’ll be honest. Like you, I wondered if Eilen could actually pull off such a tribute to Loretta. I wonder if Eilen didn’t know that would be the main question when, with the same kind of brash attitude that helped Loretta dominate the 60′s and 70′s country charts, Eilen selected one of Ms. Lynn’s more take-no-bullshit tracks, “Fist City”, to open the album. “Fist City” manages to maintain the essence of Loretta’s original performance, as well as the fun and flirty nature of Eilen’s music. It’s a marriage that plays itself out effortlessly through 12 tracks of Loretta staples, as well as a few the casual bystander may not know.

In the end, cover album or not, this cd is most definitely essential listening and almost a lock for my end of the year Top 10. Check it out!

Eilen Jewell – Fist City
Eilen Jewell – A Man I Hardly Know
Eilen Jewell – You’re Looking At Country

Eilen Jewell’s Official Site, Eilen Jewell on myspace, Buy Butcher Holler

I first got into these boys from Jersey with a recommendation from a friend and didn’t listen to The ’59 Sound all that much at first. Over time it grew on me and became a staple of my playlist and quite the repeater on mix tapes. The release of American Slang was one of the first to get me looking forward to summer and it hasn’t let me down. I didn’t put this one on the back burner like I did with their sophomore release. Instead I queued it up and it has been on repeat for my drive to and from work for a while now. I’ll skip the comparison to their other work and cut right to the chase. American Slang is straight up rock n roll with absolutely no apologies.

Horowitz provides a driving beat that makes it hard not to tap your feet even when you are desk-bound like I am most of the day while Fallon belts out lyrics that are the heart and soul of what rock n roll should be over the big guitar of Rosamilia with Levine’s bass holding it all together. American Slang is not alternative rock, it’s not post punk, it’s not any sub-genre. It is simply what every rock n roll band in America should be trying to do. I know I sound like a fan boy extraordinaire and to be be frank I don’t give a damn. I love music and there’s been some amazing music this year but this one is the best rock album I have heard in a damn long time. Yeah it’s Essential Listening without a doubt and it could be a contender for the album of the year top spot as far as I am concerned. I guess I had better give up some tracks for you all to enjoy before I launch into a track by track diatribe complete with my favorite lyrics from each one because I really want to go on about this one…

The Gaslight Anthem – Stay Lucky
The Gaslight Anthem – Orphans
The Gaslight Anthem – We Did It When We Were Young

The Gaslight Anthem’s Official Website
The Gaslight Anthem on Facebook

Red Clay River proudly comes out of Roanoke, Virgina and could very well be one of the most popular bands ever prior to releasing a full length album. My Red Clay River experience came at Deep Blues Festival ’09. My buddy from here in Florida had already tipped me off about them and made me promise to catch them live while I was there, and being a man of my word, I did. Afterward we went back, met the guys (and gal) and picked up their music. Nothing, neither of the two EP’s I picked up nor the live show I saw last summer, prepared me for what we’re getting from this album.

Now I was admittedly mostly drunk for the bulk of the ’09 incarnation of The Deep Blues Festival, so my recollection of Red Clay River there was of a pretty standard (albeit solid) country/folk effort. The cd’s we picked up were from miscellaneous other incarnations of the band, but if we’re painting in broad strokes the description is pretty much the same as above. So imagine my surprise when this cool little cd shows up full of all these neat percussive beats and sounds coupled with this sometimes plaintive balladeer and at other times Waits-esque rumbling ringleader, all stacked on a quiet & calm traditional folk/country skeleton. It’s enough to catch a man off his guard now, lemme tell you, and while this album may not contain my favorite version of “Rattlesnake Mountain”, it is certainly one of the most surprising and exciting albums so far this year. It’s also a shoe-in for the next Essential Listening collection. Check it out. Tell me what you think:

Red Clay River – Rattlesnake Mountain
Red Clay River – Stompin’
Red Clay River – Hold On


Red Clay River on myspace, Buy Cover Our Faces With Soot and Dreams

Come on now, you knew I was gonna write about a new Legendary Shack Shakers release eventually, right? I am, admittedly, late getting to this, the Shack Shakers’ 5th studio effort (and first of the post-David Lee era), but please don’t take that as a sign that Agridustrial is a bad album. ‘Cause it’s exactly the opposite.

The Shack Shakers closed out their Tentshow Trilogy, as well as their relationship with Yep Roc, back in 2007 with what I thought was their best effort to date, Swampblood. The band seemed to quiet down a little and let the finer points of their music stand out from the chug and grind we fans have grown so used to. If the title of this effort didn’t clue you in, Agridustrial ain’t that. To quote J.D., “Agridustrial is the statement of an American band fighting back against a society gone mad with greed and the usurpation of basic human dignities…the sound of Agridustrial is a direct response to the present day recession in foreshadowing the looming collapse that awaits to return us back to self-sufficiency…” The “dustrial” part of the album comes from the use of the sounds of hammers, anvils, tongs, cranks and chains that the band recorded at a local blacksmith shop and which are being used in the percussion tracks of the album. All of this comes together to easily create one of the heaviest and loudest Shack Shaker albums to date, and I can’t get enough of it. Agridustrial isn’t just essential listening, it’s essential studying. On their surface, LSS are a large, loud, Southern gothic band with a snot launching, pube tossing, harmonica playing leprechaun for a frontman, but even a half-assed effort into figuring out the message of Agridustrial (and most other LSS albums) will prove the JD Wilkes and Co. are preaching a message of a dying way of life to anyone willing to listen. I think this message is especially poignant right now as Big Oil ruins the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast, taking with it peoples’ way of life 5 or 6 generations deep, all the while putting as much (if not more) effort into controlling information leaks as they are the oil leak…..but I digress, so let’s just get back to the music:

The Legendary Shack Shakers – Hoboes are My Heroes
The Legendary Shack Shakers – Dixie Iron Fist
The Legendary Shack Shakers – Nightride

The Legendary Shack Shakers’ Official Site, The Legendary Shack Shakers on myspace, Buy Agridustrial