Deke Dickerson - see Dave & Deke

Jim Dickinson "Free Beer Tomorrow" (Artemis, 2002)
Fun stuff! Rugged, bluesy, unruly, rambling roots tunes featuring the solid piano work and throaty vocals of Jim Dickinson, a Memphis old-timer who's worked extensively as a session player and way back when was a producer who worked with Ry Cooder, Big Star and others. The Cooder connection is readily heard here, with these wild, wildly inventive songs, tunes that take what they want to from various musical styles, and weave it all together in an eclectic, compulsively listenable performance. He's joined here by his sons, Luther and Cody, who are also members of the North Mississippi All-Stars. Steel guitar, mandolin, horns, a snappy drum set, all dance around Dickinson's deft piano work... The songs themselves are pretty kooky and stream-of-consciousness, but that's definitely part if the charm... The guy's sort of like the Captain Beefheart of country. Recommended!

James Luther Dickinson "Jungle Jim" (Memphis International, 2006)
In a three decade-plus career, producer/sideman Jim Dickinson has only put out three albums under his own name... But he's worked with a slew of top talent in the worlds of blues, country and rock, a wealth of experience that he brings to bear on this fine, funky set. Like his others, this record draws on a wide range of sources and the set list is equally far-flung, from greasy-spoon soul and barband blues, with some country stuff at the album's start. Outlaw fans will relish the opening track, "Red Neck, Blue Collar," while Dickinson's grungy, bluesy cover of Terry Fell's "Truck Drivin' Man" is probably the grittiest version I've ever heard -- this time you'll really believe it was sung by a guy who lived his life in and out of dingy truckstops... Most of the other tunes on here are too blues-oriented for me (Dickinson's tenure as a Muscle Shoals mainstay pays off handsomely; if you're a fan of the style, it doesn't get much better than this...) but there's plenty here to keep an Americana/twang fan like myself engaged, particularly the eerie, mournful "Out Of Blue" and a playfully ragged, rough version of Luiz Bonfa's "Samba De Orfeu," one of the wackiest cover tunes I've heard in years. It's catnip for roots music fans. Meow.

Dick Smith "Smoke Damage" (Clayhead, 2002)
These Illinois boys work the same general territory as smartass, latter-day jugband cowpunks such as the Gourds or Dirtball, but somehow I found this album more engaging than other, similar efforts. They take a few liberties while plunking the banjo or twanging the dobro, adding nuance and variety to their repertoire. Although addicted to novelty songs and appearing "weird," Dick Smith seems to have a center to their songwriting, particularly on tunes such as "Box O' Bones" and the Steve Earle-ish "Trouble Bound." Maybe a few too many gratuitous cuss words and songs about the outlaw life (sorry, I don't buy it), but overall this is worth checking out. And if you're drawn to the so-called "insurgent" joke-a-billy sound to begin with, then these guys are definitely for you!

Dick Smith "Woozy" (Clayhead, 2005)

Johnny Dilks And His Visitacion Valley Boys "Acres of Heartache" (HighTone, 1999)
A strong debut from this San Francisco Bay Area honkytonker. The most obvious comparison is with Wayne Hancock, whose Hank Williams-y whine is nearly identical, though Hancock is a more powerful and consistent singer. Thematically, Dilks is prone to novelty songs, and he zaps off some doozies, such as the hilarious barfight anthem, "Comin' On Thru," which opens the record. Almost all the tracks are Dilks originals, and range from good old-fashioned romp'n'stomps to softer, Louvins/Everly style weepers. The latter style would work better if Dilks had lined up more sympathetic harmony singers, but all in all, this is a top-notch album. Check it out.

Dirtball "Hillbilly Soul" (Fundamental, 1996)
This Richmond, VA ensemble has an admirable breadth, mixing acoustic swing, hillbilly picking and dirty blues riffs with a pleasantly offhand insouciance. While lyrics flirt with the same-old white trash stereotypes of the "insurgent country" crowd, and the enforced goofiness of similarly eclectic bands such as The Gourds or Asylum Street Spankers, there's something pleasantly unassuming and welcomely unprofessional about their delivery. A sloppy freshness, if you will, that keeps this album from falling into an easy pigeonhole, and keeps things distinctive. Worth checking out!

The Ditchdiggers "Cow Patty Bingo" (Ditchdigger Music, 1998)

The Ditchdiggers "Light And Salvation" (Ditchdigger Music, 1999)
Cowpunk and cowbilly, with a surf-y drag on some songs. Good, if you like the style.

Ditch Witch "Everywhere Nowhere" (Grass, 1995)

Ditch Witch "Starvation Box" (Grass, 1996)
Sorta-billy. A softened, slightly twangy version of the post-Nirvana, half-grunge, half-Green Day sound that was so prevalent in rock music at the time. Other than a little dobro action and an acoustic guitar on a song or two, I wouldn't necessarily class this as "alt-country," though there are some folks who do. Sounds like just another rock band to me, though.

Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show "The Essential..." (Sony Legacy, 2003)
A super-shaggy hippie-billy bar-band from the backwoods of New Jersey, Dr. Hook crossed funky boogie rock with tounge-in-cheek country riffs, while also acting as a front for the sometimes-twisted musical output of erstwhile children's book author and frequent Playboy contributor, Shel Silverstein. All but three of the songs on here are Silverstein originals, including the still-outrageous "Freakin' At The Freaker's Ball," the big hits "Cover Of The Rolling Stone," "Only Sixteen" and "Queen Of The Silver Dollar," as well as the faux "just say no" anthem, "Makin' It Natural," and the occasional for-real tearjerker, like "Things I Didn't Say." These guys seldom played things straight, though (yeah, I know that was the whole point...) and their unruly, eclectic, stoned-out, satirical approach may not hold up that well over the years. Still, it's a nice example of how experiemental the rock scene could be in the Woodstock-ish era.

The Domino Kings "Lonesome Highway" (DK Tunes, 1999)
The long shadow of Johnny Cash hangs low over this slap-bass heavy, independent-as-hell, rockabilly-tinged alt-country outing. It's pretty ragged-sounding, but has its moments... The vocals are a little iffy, and the production is kinda threadbare, but they have the right attitude and a real feel for the music. Their later albums are better, but this might be worth tracking down for a spin or two.

The Domino Kings "Life & 20" (Slewfoot, 2001)
These fellas really shored up their sound on this album, firming up the instrumental end and writing music stronger, catchier songs that should keep your from the album's start to the finish. Clever lyrics, catchy choruses and pretty solid playing mark this album as one worth checking out. The vocals aren't that strong, but I think on this disc they're pretty effective. This is a band that can make a good claim to tout its imperfections as indie marks of honor: these ain't Nashville purty boys, just regular guys making music they believe in.

The Domino Kings "The Back Of Your Mind" (Slewfoot, 2002)

Drag The River "Hobo's Demos" (Upland, 2000)

Drag The River "Live At The Starlight" (Mars Motors, 2002)

Drag The River "Closed" (Upland, 2002)

Drag The River "Hey Buddies..." (Suburban Home, 2004)

Drag The River "Chicken Demos" (Suburban Home, 2004)

Drag The River/The Dents "Found All The Parts" (Suburban Home, 2007)
Four songs, covered twice, back-to-back, by two different bands... Hmmmmm.... Sounds interesting!

The Drive-By Truckers "Gangstabilly" (Soul Dump, 1998)

The Drive-By Truckers "Alabama Ass-Whuppin' " (Terminus, 1999)

The Drive-By Truckers "Pizza Deliverance" (Soul Dump, 2000)

The Drive-By Truckers "Southern Rock Opera" (Lost Highway, 2002)
This really is not my kind of music... A twangcore/white trash stereotypes outfit that's gone for an even louder, more balls-out southern-fried sound, these guys lack the subtlety and songwriting skill that I personally look for in my hick music. This is, apparently, a song-cycle about Lynryd Skynyrd and the '70s glory days of Southern rock... It would help, though, if the Truckers could play half as well as their idols. Still, if you dig bands that are all about attitude, and little else, then this might be just your speed.

The Drive-By Truckers "Decoration Day" (Lost Highway, 2003)
These guys really do nothing for me. Nada. Zip, Zilch. Zero. They're really more of a rock band than anything else, and to the extent they are hick-centric, they keep treading back over the same old tiresome white-trash stereotypes and "made ya look!" attention-getting ploys. To be fair, this disc is much more cohesive and accomplished than their previous disc, with lots of grimy Neil Young-ish fuzz and a bit of Marshall Tucker on the side. The vocals are irritating and overly contrived, so I guess that's where I tune out. Kooky, though, how baldly their song "Marry Me" rips off the Eagles hit, "Already Gone..." It's almost note for note: were they hoping for a lawsuit that would elevate their name into the news, or something?

Drive By Truckers "The Dirty South" (New West, 2004)
Well, I still think these guys suck, overall, but I will reluctantly admit that this album shows a remarkable improvement from their previous shrill, ugly-sounding outings. The lyrics aren't as stereotype laden and the guitars actually seem to be carrying a melody, rather than trying to cleave the listener's ears off. Could they be learning to --gasp! -- use subtlety in their music? Shocking! Anyway, I am forced to admit that they might be listenable, after all. Their other albums still definitely suck, though.

The Duhks "Migrations" (Sugar Hill, 2006)
Yeesh. From a lively, innovative Celtic/'grass crossover band, the Duhks has transformed themselves into a dreadfully self-important contemporary folk band, showily diverse and overstuffed with lofty lyrical ideals. The Celtic tinge still provides some savings grace, but most of the songs on here I found utterly insufferable. I guess the mellower Be Good Tanyas/Jolie Holland moments are okay, but the bluesy soul-folk growling slips all too easily into Odetta-ish territory, and it just doesn't sound right. I'm sure there's a big chunk of their fan base that will love this evolution, but I found very little on here I'd want to come back to, especially the tracks with Jessee Havey's pulled-out-a-plum, aren't-I-the-greatest, hey-look-at-me vocals on 'em... Sorry, but it drove me buggy!

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Hick Music Index

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