HEART FULL OF DIRT
"American Road" (Self-released; 2004)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Heart Full of Dirt's "American Road" is gritty, boogie-licked, time-for-a-beer rock'n'roll Americana that sticks to your ribs like a great BBQ ribs dinner. The guitars are Southern-fried crunch with a little Black Sabbath buzz while the lyrics are to the point, often funny and always down to earth. Try this, the complete lyrics for Track #4, "If I Find Jose":
If I find Jose, I'm
gonna kick his ass
Sneak in my yard and siphon my gas
Gimme a ride to the grocery
store
When I come out he weren't there no more
Gonna find him, find him
I hate Jose
See what I mean? Can you get more succinct than that? I don't think so. Yet that smoldering track runs a full five minutes and features great licks, groovy guitar solos, a raging harmonica ... and it tells its story completely.
Produced by the band's Kevin McKeon, "American Road" boasts stunning production values, with crisp sound and perfect mixes. Impressive enough for a full-on major label release; nothing short of awesome for a self-released CD.
Most of all, "American Road" is fun to listen to. It will lift your spirits at home, would make great traveling music and, perhaps most importantly, would sound great live.
Located smack-dab between Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith and Foghat, Heart Full of Dirt's "American Road" is a strong rock'n'roll record that fans of those bands will find irresistible.
Heart Full of Dirt: Jim Coyle, Jim Jones, Freddy Kruming, Kevin McKeon, Mike Regan.
For more information, check out www.heartfullofdirt.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 28 Oct 2024 12:36:40 -0500.