Hank Williams III- Damn Right Rebel Proud (2008)

I have been into Hank Williams Sr. for quite some time now, and a few years ago I was introduced to Hank III.  Hank III does a great job of mixing solid country tunes with an aggressive punk style dirtiness that produces a sound of raw country carnage.  Since first being introduced to Hank III, I have gone out of my way to find as many different albums/bootlegs/etc. as possible, I go overboard sometimes, in order to hear more of what he has done; I haven't been let down yet. 

Damn Right Rebel Proud is my favorite release that I have heard, up to now.  13 rockin' country punk tracks with a running time of under an hour, this is a release that doesn't really drag all that much.  For the most part is seems as though the tracks go from an upbeat fast track, then followed by a slower track, back & forth.  The lyrics are awesome, talking about raw dirty topics- drinking, drugs, fighting, depression, working hard, etc.; common country themes mixed with gritty punk topics.  A couple of my all time favorite Hank 3 tracks are on this album: P.F.F- a GG Allin tribute track that is fast, rough and freakin' awesome (GG would be proud!), and 3 Shades of Black- a slower paced track that speaks to all "freaks & weirdos" that get looked down at by a mainstream society.  A couple of the songs are a little too slow for my taste, but the lyrics and solos on them make up for it. 

Hank 3 is an awesome musician, has been in some great other projects (AssJack, Superjoint Ritual, and more), and should appeal to a lot more people.  Hank 3 speaks to the country crowd, the redneck crowd and the punk crowd; all at the same time.  I would suggest getting this album, and find the other associated acts that he is in.  I don't want to take away from any possible album sales he could make, but you can find all of his releases online and tons of live bootlegs as well.  Check him out, and if you like country or punk or dirty rock n' roll, you'll love the shit outta his stuff.

Official score- 4/5

Junior Brown- Greatest Hits (2005)

When I think of country music, my mind always goes to the old country artists- Hank W., Cash, Jennings, etc., but Junior Brown is one of the modern country artists that isn't too bad.  I have only been to 1 country concert, and it was to see Junior Brown.  I first saw him on the David Letterman show playing his custom dual necked guitar, actually it's 1 guitar & 1 guitar steel, and he was shreddin' it up!  Junior Brown is like if an old metal guitarist started playing country music- super fast fingering while using a pick and his fingers to strum all while switching from his guitar-neck to his steel-neck. 

This "Greatest Hits" release seems a little premature since I am pretty sure that he is still playing music, but nonetheless it is a good outline of the different styles he plays on his regular studio albums.  This album has 11 tracks and has a play time of right around the 45 minute mark.  Now as a disclaimer, this is country, his vocals have that twang to them and some of the songs can be a little drawn out; but, in every song he show off his mad guitar prowess.  Any of the "rags" that you listen to of his shows his bad-assery, going from fast bluegrass style picking to sweeping wah sounding Hendrix imitations, all while being able to switch from his regular guitar neck to his slide style on the steel neck.  Lyrically, these are pretty standard country topics- love, lost love, driving 18 wheelers, typical country type stuff. The accompanying music, for these tracks,  is the standard country beat on drums, walking country bass lines and rhythm acoustic guitar.   This is a short album and the songs themselves are short, so it goes by fast and is pretty entertaining. 

This is a good album for anyone who likes fast country style guitar picking and doesn't mind the country twang when listening to people sing.  I would say that seeing him live is a better experience, but with such a great guitar technique and style, definitely worth a listen.  Yet at the same time, I know that I personally cannot listen to county on a daily basis, and more often then not, not even on a weekly basis; so take that for what it's worth.

Official score- 3/5