Hayseed Dixie drops its sophomore effort the aptly-titled A Hillbilly Tribute to Mountain Love at an unfortunate time in music history. Unfortunate, that is, for the band. Dixie, the band that accidentally happened upon its fame recording a slew of AC/DC standards served up bluegrass style last year, really should have quit while it was ahead. While before, tackling a countrified version of any regular tune came out funny as hell (The Gourds Gin & Juice , for inst), labels like Rounder are releasing multi-starred albums of their own with reputable bands doing the same, albeit with serious marketing intent. In the wake of the fabled-for-years-to-come O Brother soundtrack, John Q. Musicbuyer is finally ready to accept bluegrass as the true art form it always has been. Those making a living off of recording the stuff no longer have to hide under the guise of overalls and gaps in their teeth but are being heralded as music geniuses who trumpet a true American style of tunage. Ralph Stanley, The Cox Family, and Nickel Creek are on their ways to becoming household names. In lieu of the phenomenon, are audiences as apt to laugh as hard at this shtick as they would have a couple of years back? Maybe, though the odds are definitely not in Dixie's favor.
Because Dixie seems to have stretched the AC/DC bit about as far as it could, it s exploring new territory here or is it? switching gears and covering Joan Jett, Cars and J. Geils tunes instead. You know, love songs like Centerfold and Cat Scratch Fever. John Wheeler (aka Barley Scotch), who recorded the first album almost completely by himself and more of a lark than anything else, is back to doing the exact same thing as he did with the debut. That said, at least he s taking his time to pad the songs with some quality wordless breaks when the song calls for it. Big Bottom yes, recorded by that fine Big Haired Wonder Spinal Tap not so long ago is a smirker all on its own, but the slow, relaxed pacing and fine picking that goes on in it makes it the one true standout of the bunch. Big bottom, big bottom/ talk about mudflaps, my girl s got em sounds like it should have been recorded with a stalk of wheat gripped between the singer s teeth and a bit of Skoal in his lower lip in the first place. Add that to the fact that it falls just after Dixie s take on Fat Bottom Girls and you ve a mini-homage to Big Backsided Beauties everywhere.
The issue also seems to be here that, well, most of this album just isn t that funny to begin with. Much like the first album out, this one should keep morning deejays busy and gain a couple laughs in the process, but it just doesn t hold up to being replayed very much. Wheeler s voice comes out not quite Nashville but more as one straining and aching to come off like a Good Ole Boy. It s the synthetic aiming for authentic, yet failing. It s as if he was eating a big vat of applesauce, started to swallow, then decided not to finish doing so until he d put out some swinging country covers!
A couple of originals show up mixed in the lot and prove that, not only is Wheeler s heart in the right place, but he s decent with a pen as well. The Perfect Woman testifies that the best kind of girl is the kind already committed to someone else. Nuggets of bumper sticker wisdom are dropped along the lines of love between us flows just like a river/ but we both know where the dam is and if you don t it ll last awhile . And I m Keeping Your Poop is pretty self-explanatory; it s kept in a jar by his bed and serves as a reminder of the love that left him behind. Both songs fit in with an album centered on infidelity, lovemaking and rock n roll.
Perhaps the surprise success of Hayseed Dixie s first meant a follow-up was inevitable, but one can t help but scratch his head and wonder why? John, your 15 minutes are up: set your sights elsewhere, but don t forget to clear your throat first.
