Reverend Horton Heat

One gets the impression that as long as girls look good in Betty Page haircuts and the Reverend’s liver holds up, this party machine on wheels will just keep on rollin’. The first thing you notice about Lucky 7 is that the Rev has definitely gotten over his awkward mid-band-life crisis (the dismal Martini Time and Space Heater albums still have unfortunately not all been rounded up and destroyed) of the late ’90s and is back doing what he does best, which is making fun music. From the get go, songs like "Loco Gringos Like to Party" and "Reverend Horton Heat’s Big Blue Car" show how this guy single-handedly re-energised the rockabilly scene in the early ’90s. His guitar work is as nimble as it’s ever been here and the rocking live feeling recording is definitely a welcome return to form. The songs are familiar sounding but not boring, as blasters like "Suicide Doors" and instrumentals like "Duel at the Two O’ Clock Bell" show. A lot of Lucky 7 was extensively road tested before recording and it seems this "focus group" approach significantly benefited the album.