That Nashville SoundBites- Jackson Taylor & The Sinners- Let The Bad Times Roll

That Nashville Sound receives many different CD releases throughout the year from indie, bluegrass and artists just off the mainstream radar- or smaller projects like EPs- that we’re doing short mini CD reviews on. We call them That Nashville SoundBites- it’s a feature that will allow us to give some props to some albums and artists that deserve a spotlight on their work.

The Review:
Inspired by Waylon, Willie and Billy Joe Shaver, Taylor and the boys wave the flag for muscle-bound Texas outlaw music unabashedly. With equal parts honkytonk (steel guitar) and southern rock (electric guitar), they have a hold-nothing-back approach to their music that hits and misses along the way. It's not for everyone- as their music video for "Boys In The Band" was shot in a Texas strip club attests to- but it has some memorable pieces to it. Whereas previous albums dissed Nashville and the pop-country sound, this one pounds away at "the man" and the current political climate. "Let The Bad Times Roll" longs for the good ole days. The album includes a couple of inspired covers including Waylon's "Ain't No God In Mexico" and "I Ain't Living Long Like This"- written by Shaver and Rodney Crowell respectively. They also get points for dedicating a song to the possum. "No Show" creatively uses Mr. George Jones as inspiration.

Sounds Like:
Mark Collie's voice with a much rockier Waylon Jennings sound

Stand Out Tracks
I Ain't Living Long Like This
Boys In The Band
No Show

The Verdict:
Three stars out of five