"Big Dwarf Rodeo": Reverend Horton Heat: Reading: Spend A Night In The Box Review

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Spend A Night In The Box
Album Review witten by Sarah Quelland
Metroactive

Frontman Jim Heath (a.k.a. the Reverend Horton Heat) seems hell-bent on conjuring up the devil with his scorching brand of rockabilly: a raucous, rebellious country stew of Johnny Cash honky-tonk souped up with more than a pinch of swamp, surf and blues. He made a name for himself on the juke-joint circuit for songs about beerin' and boozin' and seems proud there are only six songs about drinking on the band's seventh album. "Sue Jack Daniels" does blaze with the hard-drinkin' style that made the trio a rowdy favorite, but other songs take a different angle, like the kick-in-the-pants "The Girl in Blue" and the racy "Whole Lotta Baby" and "I'll Make Love." "The Bedroom Again" tackles divorce, while "It Hurts Your Daddy Bad" is Heat's take on fashion models who sell their souls for the glamour of the fast lane. Spend a Night in the Box was produced by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary and recorded at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios; the title pays tribute to Cool Hand Luke.