Girls Acoustic Guitar

The Grifter's Hymnal

31.12.69

You say you want to hear some gee-tar? Oh, Lord … close your eyes and drop the needle on this thing wherever you want to, keeping in mind that one of Hubbard and co-producer/bassist George Rieff’s ground rules for the album was, “No effects pedals.” Everything you hear is some funky old guitar with a cord running from its hind end to an equally-funky old amp. The end result? The sweet parts couldn’t be any sweeter – and the raunchy stuff (majority rules) couldn’t be any raunchier.

Ray Wylie Hubbard is truly one of the modern-day masters of the grease guitar, from Lightnin’ Hopkins-style finger picking to John Lee Hooker stomp rhythms to scary-good slide. And when you’re that good and that easy to work with, then you just naturally attract other great players. Here we have Audley Freed, slathering just-right growl and twang all over “Count My Blessings” and helping light them eternal fires on “New Year’s Eve at the Gates of Hell”. (Note to Jimmy Perkins: sounds like you’re bound to burn, man.) Billy Cassis offers up some wickedly nasty acoustic slide on “Lazarus”, keeps “Train Yard” chugging along to its killer one-liner conclusion, and shines some eerie six-string moonlight on “Moss And Flowers”. Brad Rice lays down the crunch on the aforementioned “South Of The River” in true X-Pensive Wino style.

Source: jambands.com