Disco de Hank Williams III: “Damn Right, Rebel Proud”

Some great Rebel country...if you like Rebel country. I loved III's other discs, but this one's sounding a little long in the tooth. You can only hear so many songs about Shelton "getting stoned", "doin' the best that (he) can" and "living off the land"....and then it begins to get a little boring. I really love his stuff, but this album just isn't doing it for me.

If you want some GREAT III music, get

. Very diverse, and some AWESOME traditional country on disc 2. You won't regret your purchase.

while listening to "Straight to hell" before DWRP was released. I wondered if Hank could capture the same vibe and atmosphere that "Straight to hell" put off. I thought the album was perfect. Both groundzero concerts were incredible! Needless to say this i had high hopes for this album.....

Today, (oct 21) i rushed out to pick up the album i knew would be just as good as straight to hell. After 10 minutes of listening i was shocked to think that it maybe better than STH. My advice to anybody who liked the previous album, pick this one up and let it be the album that u inhereit alcohol poisoning from!

*pick up the gun dear and put me asleep*

Reinstate Hank!

3 is back and he's done it again. Speaking the truth that no one wants to hear. I've said it before and it's important to say here: Truth is the toughest obstacle. Pullin' no punches and lettin em land where they may, 3 says what needs to be said and everyone needs to turn their ear to listen closely. This album is more diverse in its content, but it's still raw, honest, real country. He hits his mark dead between the eyes on each track and his mood is more unstable and reckless on this record than any of his previous efforts, but that can only be a sign of his genuine anger and frustration at the current state of the cannibalistic music industry and the battles he is fighting to gain ground without compromising his soul - which he does in spades! Buy this album and your favorite six pack and you'll be in good company sitting alone by the stereo.

I'm a candidate for telling you this album's really great but what in the Helen you expectin from a son whose purdy much irate every day when he hears all that garbage on the air thank my god and country good ol Hank is finally here. Now you might think this review is kinda full of it but I got to be reminding you that every song's a hit, its like casually he drops em from his left hand and lobs em out the park each time before he makes his stand. Now I've seen him several times play live and don't you know its a dam blast I can earnestly assure you all that he is here to last and even if one day he goes and pulls it off alone I know we're gonna miss him and we'll feel it in our bones but his melodies and lyrics will keep echoin in our heads it'll be a better life worth livin singin ol Hank's songs instead. That's a country song I done just wrote 4U Hank. But seriously we want you around to keep putting out these dope albums. These are a motley posse of hard songs right here folks. Now some of you older'n us might not appreciate some of Hank's bad mouth on this here thing, and I understand, but listen here, check some of that music. There's some real down home country fiddle playing on this thing, enough to make any old rebel singer proud. The defiance here is real enough. Hank'll never make the upgrade to commercial airwaves and there's a dam fine thing too if you don't mind me saying so. Because if you'll pardon me Ma'am, Sir, but this plasticized musical industry has just about sucked enough outta my soul for now you hear. I can't rightly see as how you couldn't claim the same. Just bend a corner of that ear away from the occasional vulgarities that might be spat your way, cuz'n this here music is the real deal m'k. Why don't you just go ahead and live a little, its aight. I dares ya. Put this puppy in your music player and hit the spin button. You know you want to. Get ready to boot scoot and boogie cuz Hank's got a little bit of everything in here for yall.

I particularly enjoyed purchasing the vinyl record of this album, as it comes with a copy of the CD, as a lot of vinyl releases are beginning to do nowadays. This is a real gem to add to my collection too and its a dam fine thing vinyl is making a resurgence. Well its obvious it never went away really and that's because it is the real deal, playing back musical compositions with more of their organic superstructure intact. Keep your iAccessories but never forget the true source of recorded music pleasure pumps loud and clear through your diamond needle and awesome record player/receiver/speakers. Keepin it real, remember how to feel...

After III's excellent "Straight to Hell," which marked the first time he was able to release the edgier type of album that he had been pushing for a while, I was interested to see where he would take his sound. "Damn Right, Rebel Proud" takes the sound in several new directions, which unfortunately don't come together to form a truly cohesive album.

There are several great songs that only could have come from Hank III ("The Grand Ole Opry," "Long Hauls and Close Calls," and "P,F,F"), but also some largely forgettable songs ("Wild & Free," "Stoned and Alone," and "H8 Line"). And at this point in his career, the country lost-love songs like "I Wish I Knew" sound a little out of place. On "Wild & Free" Hank does his damnedest to make his voice sound like it did in 2002, although it is obvious that the Assjack performances and cigarettes have taken their toll on his pipes. "Candidate for Suicide" combines the old-III sound with the new-III edginess, and it's not a particularly effective combination. "3 Shades of Black" is a terrific song that is made kind of hokey by the backwards speech inserted between verses. "P,F,F" is a song that can be appreciated by people who know of, but don't necessarily enjoy, the work of G.G. Allin. I don't really understand why there is a Hellbilly version and an acoustic version. People who don't like the Hellbilly version probably aren't going to change their mind about the song when they hear a version with clearer lyrics. I'm not a G.G. fan, but this is definitely a catchy song.

So this album has Hank doing some county love songs, the Assjack/Hellbilly sound, the creepy Satanic thing, the "Lovesick, Broke & Driftin'" era sound, and the trademark foulmouthed fast outlaw songs. The album ends with a Bob Wayne song that serves as the perfect closer, only in that it provides another example of this album's lack of focus. The spoken part in the middle of that song is cringe-worthy, and the lyrical content puts a bizarre and unsatisfying finishing touch on the album. If you told me that this CD was actually a collection of b-sides and rare tracks, I might have appreciated it more, but as a proper release it is unfocused and disappointing.

Many III fans will be quick to scream, "at least it's better than the stuff you hear on the radio," and they are correct. However, I think we can expect more from the guy who has played a major role in promoting and inspiring other bands who are releasing great albums in this genre. My hope is that he is just phoning it in right now until his contract with Curb Records expires.