Whitey Morgan and the 78's: Born, Raised and Live from Flint (Bloodshot/Southbound)

 |   |  1 min read

Whitey Morgan and the 78's: Cheatin' Again
Whitey Morgan and the 78's: Born, Raised and Live from Flint (Bloodshot/Southbound)

If there's any honkytonk, rockin' country cliche missed by this post-Waylon longhair wildman, it's probably only the one about the dog up'n'dyin'.

With his hard rockin' band recorded live before a hometown crowd in Michigan, he ticks off the Cocaine Train, being a bad man on Crazy ("by any other name") and Bad News ("I've been hired and fired and jailed in any town you can name ... leavin' them girls that hate to see me go"), cheatin' wimmen (Cheatin' Again), that honky tonk queen (on ahh, Honky Tonk Queen) . . .

When he asks "How 'bout a drinkin' song?" beforeTurn Up the Bottle (just before Another Round) you'll probably think -- if you were still sober -- haven't they all been drinkin' songs? 

There's a decent reframed country-rock cover of Springsteen's I'm On Fire (which reminds you he's a crowd-pleaser), but mostly this is an album which confirms he's one to see live when you drop your guard and critical faculties, order up another Jack or tequila before he sings I Ain't Drunk ("I jes bin drinkin' ").

If any promoter is crazy/sensible enough to bring this band to New Zealand you shouldn't miss them. The vibe will be like a hard boozin' Texas bar and men will have permission to wear snakeskin boots and gals be, for the duration of the night, their own halter-top version of a honky tonk queen.

Can't believe he didn't have a dead dog song though.

Maybe it's on their 2008 debut album with the telling title Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels where quite a number of these songs came from.

Like the idea of this? Then check out this guy. And this one

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks (XL)

Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks (XL)

As you may already know, Karen Elson from England comes with a number of black marks against her on this debut album: she was a model (and no one takes them seriously, huh?) and her husband is Jack... > Read more

Over the Rhine: The Long Surrender (GDS)

Over the Rhine: The Long Surrender (GDS)

After a series of fine albums, Ohio's Over the Rhine here -- with sympathetic producer Joe Henry – deliver their most sophisticated album to date, one with an ear on their European-cabaret... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

GUEST WRITER SUSAN EPSKAMP on a doco about a music festival about unity and hope

GUEST WRITER SUSAN EPSKAMP on a doco about a music festival about unity and hope

Some of the most interesting music has been immersed in the politics of its day. The attitudes of musicians are a reaction to the social, political and economic happenings that surround... > Read more

Candy Dulfer: Funked Up Chilled Out (Heads Up/Elite)

Candy Dulfer: Funked Up Chilled Out (Heads Up/Elite)

Consumer law revolves on the principle of "fitness for purpose" and you won't catch this saxophonist out on that score: this double disc is as it says on the cover, one disc of funked up... > Read more