On this album, Bill Kirchen

Bill Kirchen

Bill Kirchen is an American rockabilly guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the guitarist with the original Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid 1970s, although, in reality, his time with the Commander accounts for only a portion of his career...

 treads where country music finds its origins in blues and bluegrass, and in the Western Swing of Texas and California honky tonks.

He is joined by Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe

Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...

, Austin de Lone and The Impossible Birds (Geraint Watkins, Robert Trehern), and their influence is very much in evidence. The title track is a loving tribute to the Fender Telecaster

Fender Telecaster

The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...

guitar, Kirchen's guitar of choice.

Track listing

1. Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods
2. Rocks Into Sand
3. Get A Little Goner
4. Skid Row In My Mind
5. Working Man
6. Soul Cruisin'
7. Truth Be Told
8. Devil With The Blue Dress On
9. One More Day
10. Heart Of Gold
11. If It's Really Got To Be This Way

Trivia

In his live show, Kirchen has referred to track 11 (If It's Really Got To Be This Way) as a "secret bonus track" that is fully listed on the CD, and only the audience of his live show knows the "secret" that it's actually a bonus track, not a regular track.

External links

• Proper Records review