Search - Hacienda Brothers :: What's Wrong With Right

Western soul classic: Bakersfield to Memphis

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 06/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Hacienda Brothers - Dave Gonzalez of The Paladins and Chris Gaffney of Dave Alvin's Guilty Men - hook up with Southern soul master Dan Penn for their second album in two years. The duo's varied background in blues, rockabilly, country and tex-mex is here, but the glue holding it together is the Memphis soul of producer and songwriter Penn. In addition to revisiting two of Penn's classics, "Cry Like a Baby" and "It Tears Me Up" (originally waxed by The Box Tops and Percy Sledge, respectively), Gonzalez and Penn co-wrote the soul-with-pedal-steel title track, and Gonzalez & Gaffney were inspired to write several more stone soul classics. But even that wasn't enough, as the trio visits the catalogs of Gamble & Huff ("Cowboys to Girls") and Charlie Rich ("Life's Little Ups and Downs") for more country/soul infusions.



If the songlist itself is impressive, the performance is even more so. Gaffney's raspy vocals fit the soulful tenor of these songs, and with Joe Terry's organ and Gonzalez's fluid guitar playing behind him, the Hacienda's recreate the emotional impact of Dan Penn's Muscle Shoals work without mimicking the original sounds. Where they differ, and where they refrain from simply copying what Penn had laid out before, is with the inclusion of loping western rhythms and twangy guitar picking. The alchemy is how the album indulges Gonzalez's country jones, but as southern soul, rather than as The Paladins rockabilly inflections.



One might look to Joe South as an antecedent, but where South brought then-contemporary pop influences into his southern background, the Hacienda's bring the West. Best of all, they can move in both directions: the Memphis soul of "It Tears Me Up" is augmented with pedal steel, while Gonzalez' honky-tonk two-step "The Last Time" is topped with Gaffney's soul-drenched vocal. The originals mix with the covers so thoroughly that the opening original "Midnight Dream" sounds like a cover of long-lost Atlantic single, Charlie Rich's "Rebound" takes an original turn with a Lousiana bounce, and the originals "Different Today" and "The Warning" seem to shuffle right out of the Waylon Jennings catalog.



This is a masterful release that charts new ground between soul and country, and a textbook example of how a brilliant producer can amplify a band's innate magnificence. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"

One of the best Americana releases of the year

D. R Smyers | dallas, tx United States | 07/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is classic honky tonk with a keene modern eye. Produced by the legendary Dan Penn (whose songs the band covers), this is music of rare beauty. Soulful and sincere, the brother's version of Charlie Rich's "Life Has it's Little Ups and Downs" nearly upstages the original. Fans of Hank Sr., Gram Parsons and even Al Green and the Stones need this cd. It's that good."

Long Live "The Sound of Western Soul"

Steven R. Struck | Philadelphia, PA | 09/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The songs on this CD are like nothing you hear on the radio today, and that's a real shame. The blend of country and soul is so original and so pleasing, and the Hacienda Brothers and genius producer Dan Penn have put together an excellent CD with brilliant songwriting, arranging and musicianship. Dave Gonzalez's electric, acoustic and baritone guitars give this band that southwestern edge that sets them apart, and Chris Gaffney's heartfelt and soulful vocals and wonderful accordion and guitar playing define the group's unique and refreshing sound. Also noticable on several tunes is the very talented steel guitar playing of David Berzansky, giving the songs that country twang that brings it all together. If you get the chance to catch the Hacienda Brothers live in concert, don't miss them ... they jam wonderfully together while each of their individual talents is showcased ... you will leave one of their shows stomping your feet and singing in your head, reliving the exciting energy and brilliant musicianship they display on stage. This CD deserves to be recognized as one of the most original and satisfying recordings to be released this year. Here's hoping they keep their blazing "western soul" sound alive for years to come!"