Search - Bill Kirchen, Bill Kerchen :: Raise a Ruckus

Bill Kirchen remains the king of twangabilly, truck-driving guitar, but this diverse CD is something else. "Girlfriend" is thumping country; "Big Hat/No Cattle" is fanciful swing; "She's a Yum Yum" is a Dallas Frazier-penned, Charlie Rich-covered, off-the-wall remake; "Interstate" sports Jimmy Bryant-inspired liquid licks; and "Flip Flop" (with references to Professor Longhair, Stanley Brothers, and Buck Owens) and "Little Bitty Record" indulge Kirchen's brand of nostalgia. But he also augments his trio with various San Antonio pickers and horn players who give his music new kick and textures. The title song is an ominous-sounding novelty, while "Fly on Your Jacket" flaunts novel-sounding rage. "Dreamworld" is a lovely border ballad, and the soulish "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" bears a pathos that's neither traditional nor contemporary country, but pathos in a world all its own. Bravo. --John Morthland