Rockabilly is one of those basic pop music styles to which most listeners react positively without a moment's thought. Nobody has to explain anything about this sound -- any academic who tried to deconstruct a rockabilly song would find his work already done for him. The music is about the cleanness of the tones, juxtaposed with the rawness of the combinations they produce.
Fortunately for Willie Heath Neal, one doesn't have to have an original thematic or musical concept in his brain to produce a good, boot-scooting rockabilly record. Willie Heath Neal and His Cowboy Killers is fundamentally different from many of the rockabilly, psychobilly or any-other-billy albums that have been released since the Stray Cats made it acceptable again: there is no irony here. One of the basic underpinnings of the various nostalgia movements that populated the nineties was a thick, creamy dollop of irony on top of everything. The Reverend Horton Heat's image and lyrics are entirely founded on an ironic reading of Southernness circa 1957. Willie Neal doesn't seem to have an irono-meta-post-bone in his body, and this works both to his advantage and his detriment.
The lineup is Elvis' Sun Sessions all the way -- nothing but guitars and bass. The songs are all based on one of three concepts: 1)A woman done me wrong (or vice versa); 2) Her father/boyfriend/husband don't like me messin' round with her; 3) Me and my tough, guitar-playing boys are coming to your town. Considering that the third option only relates to the Steve Earle cover ("Guitar Town"), we can see that Neal's inspiration bucket is plumbing a rather shallow well, lyrically speaking. Still, he delivers the goods more often than not. The aforementioned cover is an interesting reading that keeps the swagger of the original while giving it an aura of sepia-toned nostalgia. "Ain't Doing Me Right" is officially the four millionth song to ask how a woman can be doing her man right while she's a-messin' around -- but surprisingly, that question never fails to seem topical. "Tattoo Ballad" is a particularly interesting song, introducing a shuffle feel and more a meditative tempo into the raucous proceedings.
Now that he has exorcised the ghost of young Elvis, let's hope Willie returns with another album that upholds the strengths of this release, but gives us a better glimpse through the tradition to his own swaggering personality.
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