Search - Hasil Adkins :: What the Hell Was I Thinking

Raw

Shady Ave Reader | Arlington, VA | 04/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read a review of a Hasil Adkins album in Stereophile magazine. It described a reviewer who, after hearing another Hasil Adkins album, quit reviewing forever as he had found his music nirvana. After that I just had to hear who the hell Hasil Adkins was. So I ordered this CD.



What can I say but - Wow! This is raw RAWWW rock-a-billy blues. Hasil sounds like a guy on his second bottle of rotgut playing for quarters at a roadhouse bar. But yeah boy, the guy can play guitar and sing. And the music he plays - he wrote himself - and it's straight from the heart and hollers of West VA.



The previous Amazon reviewer mentioned the Hasil Adkins band - well there ain't no band. He played the drums, harmonica and everything else you hear. And he didn't play them on multiple tracks - he played them all at the same time.



The songs ramble forward as easy and unpredictable as water cascading down a mountainside. And whether he is playing acoustic or electric guitar - the energy just surges forward.



I could say great things about each and every one of the songs. But, there is one song on here I have to mention. Beautiful Hills. This could be the state anthem of West Virginia, if not all of Appalachia, or the entire US. I cannot remember ever hearing a more genuine American song. If you tossed out this entire album and only kept this one cut, you would still have your money's worth. But you get a lot more to enjoy in this strange, maniacal, beautiful and raw album.



I don't know if you'll quit your job after listening to this CD, but you might stay out too late, drink till dawn, and call in sick the next day. And you would probably think it time well spent.



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