Honky tonk music was originally country music with piano and a boogie woogie beat, that later evolved into hillbilly music and a “Hank Williams” style. With their new release Loud In Here, The Nouveaux Honkies carry on this tradition with a combination of irreverent songs and songs that expand musically on the honky tonk foundation.
The Nouveaux Honkies are the duo Rebecca Dawkins (violin) and Tom O’Donnell (guitar). Bill Kirchen (guitars), Lloyd Maines (pedal steel), Ephraim Owens (trumpet) , Nate Rowe (bass), Chris Gage (piano), Pat Manske (drums) and Tim Buppert (vocals) all lend a hand for this album, which was recorded at The Zone studio in Dripping Springs, Texas, and mastered by Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, John Mellencamp). The duo has established a residence travelling in their RV home, wending their way across the country and back to Florida for wintering.
The album highlights a couple of fun, tongue-in-cheek, facetious songs “Will and Faith” and “Big Heart, Hard Head” to establish the baseline of rowdiness. But the album progressively evolves into songs of increasing depth and meaning: “The Glades,” and then there’s a very respectful “Wichita Lineman.” “Today Won’t Be Easy” is perhaps the keystone song on the album, with its perfect balance between great music, a fun vibe and thought-provoking lyrics. “Playing Cards With Myself” chimes in to help return to the boogie rock side of things to complete the album. Horns by Ephraim Owens and the clean overall production quality really render this album a stand-out, and the entire album is done against the backdrop of uncluttered drumming.
Give yourself a boogie woogie experience, get your copy here!