Five Horse Johnson Album Reviews

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Double Down (1997)

Double Down (1997)

7

Downstone Blues / Shine Eyed / Double Down / Roll With You / Wash Your Hands / Beggin' for Bail / High Time / Diamond / People's Jam / Submission

Ever wondered what Dr. Feelgood might've sounded like if they'd been raised on bourbon, burgers and fistfights? What the Georgia Satellites might've become if they'd been really dirty rock 'n' rollers? How the bastard son of a marriage between ZZ Top and Molly Hatchet might be like? Five Horse Johnson is the answer to all those questions. If there'd been an uncensored remake of that shitty Patrick Swayze vehicle Roadhouse, then FHJ would be in the background instead of the Jeff Healey Band. Their brand of beer & bourbon-soaked blues rock is ideally suited for all your motorcycle gang B-B-Q's and the sleaziest juke joints you can think of, but actually their appeal reaches further than pick-up trucks with flags of the Southern Confederacy. They guys can play, and they play hard, and when they push down the pedal, the result is a hard-rockin' retro-sound that will appeal to mullet-ed rednecks, but also lovers of ferocious Southern rock and thick stoner rock, as some of their songs come off as the bastard children of an unholy alliance between Black Sabbath, Mountain and Muddy Waters. Enough name-dropping, what's in it for the listener? Well, red-hot blues riffs, muscular harp wailing, raw vocals and a no-nonsense attitude. There actually is some variation on the album - even a walking Budweiser ad like singer Eric Oblander has his introvert side - but what the band excels at is churning out tough, grinding blues-rock that smells of sweat, booze and motor oil. "Downstone Blues" would've fit on any of the first few Dr. Feelgood album's, as Oblanders growling vocals are - like Lee Brilleaux's - influenced by the Godfather of all grunters, Howlin' Wolf. There's a smoking, repetitive riff and a groove that will set most blues caves in flames in 20 seconds flat. But it gets even better: "Beggin' for Bail" roars ahead with the force of an 18-wheeler, the rockabilly-flavoured title track boasts a leaner drive than any golf player (and check out that harmonica solo), while "Roll with You" is a pulverizing shuffle on a par with the Paladins' classic raunch, "Let's Buzz." Sophisticated it ain't, but why would you expect that from a few dudes from Toledo, Ohio? The softer/slower songs on Double Down don't have the same impact, but they usually have something to offer, whether it's the surprisingly melodic vocals during "Shine Eyed," the faux-funk vibe of "Wash Your Hands" or the impressive harmonica wailing during "Diamond." Most of their songs are quite lengthy and unfortunately, this makes the ending of the album a bit difficult to sit out. "High Time" (no relation to the MC5-song) is kinda average, the 8+ minutes of "People's Jam" are the kind of stuff that works much better on a stage and finally, their cover version of the Sex Pistols' doesn't add much to the original… even though the banjo playing of producer/Raging Slab chief Greg Strzempka is a nice touch. Still, it's not an example of a mediocre song that suddenly becomes an incredible revelation. But hey, Double Down is a solid debut by an excellent band that would eventually become better at downplaying its strengths and God knows that a band like this on their peak (like their stoner-counterpart Orange Goblin, for instance) will have you pump your fists and curse and spit and maybe even fight. If you got what it takes to be a real man, that is.