Believe

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email

Review

As the opening track, "Agony Wagon," shuffles out of the starting blocks like some sort of hillbilly klezmer chestnut, complete with violin and clarinet, you can't help but wonder if the Legendary Shack Shakers have done a 180 for their second album, 2004's Believe. Further research confirms this isn't quite the case, but Believe does find this band of hot-wired Nashville maniacs adding a few more flavors to their usual gumbo of country, blues, rockabilly, and punk. Fiddles and horns add seasoning to a few tracks, the group musters up a shade more technical finesse than they did on their blasting debut, Cockadoodledon't, and the graceful waltz-time "The Pony to Bet On" suggests this band might actually have some subtlety lurking deep down inside of them. But for the most part Believe shows the Shack Shakers's instincts remain mercifully unchanged -- they're here to kick ass and get wild, and man oh man, are they good at it. The blues-shot swagger of "All My Life to Kill," the ominous thunder of "Where's the Devil When You Need Him?," and the swampy hipshake of "Piss and Vinegar" all capture this band in high-impact mode, and if anything they're stronger and more swingin' than on their debut. Believe is a high-octane shot of energy and attitude that confirms the promise of the Legendary Shack Shakers' debut, and proves this is one revved-up live band who know how to make their sweat and shakin' signify on tape -- these guys are the best thing to happen to Dixie-fried dementia since Southern Culture on the Skids. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Previous:Believe (1970 Album by The Third Power)
Next:Believe (Album by Lynda Benjamin and the Messengers)
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Believe (Th' Legendary Shack Shakers album)

Top
Believe
Studio album by Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
Released 2004
Recorded 2004, Roswell East Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Punk blues
Length 35:01
Label YepRoc
Producer J.D. Wilkes
Mark Robertson
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers chronology
Cockadoodledon't
(2003)
Believe
(2004)
Pandelirium
(2006)

Believe is an LP released by Th' Legendary Shack Shakers on October 4, 2004.

Contents

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[1]

'Believe' was favourably reviewed by Zeth Lundy of popmatters.com who concluded "The next time you take the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack from the stereo, pining for some oomph to your Americana, reach for Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers. “Colonel” J.D. Wilkes calls himself a jumpin’ jimdaddy, and before long, you will too."[2] Ben Donnelly of dusted.com reviewed the album and commented that "Translating this band's strengths to record will probably always be a challenge. ... Still, they make the most of the challenge."[3]

Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin fame, named "Believe" as his favorite album of 2005.

Track listing

All songs written by J. D. Wilkes except wher noted

  1. "Agony Wagon" – 2:57
  2. "Creek Cats" – 3:21
  3. "Where's the Devil... When You Need Him?" – 2:59
  4. "Piss and Vinegar" – 2:46
  5. "County of Graves" – 3:45
  6. "All my Life to Kill" – 3:03
  7. "Cussin' in Tongues" – 2:45
  8. "Help Me" – 3:47 (Sonny Boy Williamson II)
  9. "Bible Cyst" – 2:55
  10. "The Pony to Bet on" – 3:28
  11. "Fistwhistle Boogie" – 2:22
  12. "Misery Train" – 1:01

Personnel

Additional personnel include: Jordan Richter, Nick Kane (guitar), Fats Kaplan (banjo, fiddle, accordion), Donnie Herron (fiddle), Jim Hoke (clarinet, saxophone).

References

  1. ^ Deming, Mark. "Review: Believe". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r711107. Retrieved 14 April 2010. 
  2. ^ Review at popmatters.com
  3. ^ Review at Dusted

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

Mentioned in

Cardozo, Benjamin N. (Quotes By)
Martin, Everett D. (Quotes By)
saying, Hopi Indian (Quotes By)