HONKY (Balls Out Inn) CD
With the new album from Texas-based trio HONKY, Small Stone Records delivers new stuff for all fans of southern-flavoured, 70's-inspired heavy blues rock. Formed by ex-Butthole Surfer J.D. Pinkus this is HONKY's third album but the first for Small Stone, and the band makes a good figure between other Small Stone artists like Five Horse Johnson, Dixie Witch or Halfway To Gone. "Balls Out Inn" makes you wanna grab a cold beer, and some good green, while delicious Mexican food is laying on the grill and a pretty hot girl is sitting beside you. I guess, she would start to shake her ass and boobies when you put your balls out...ähhhh, noooo....let's get serious here, of course when you play "Balls Out Inn"! About humour - HONKY have a lot, and the nasty lyrics are belonging to the best I've heard in this genre for awhile.
In opposite to other heavy southern rock bands, HONKY have a much heavier sound that is comparable to the first Mountain album, when Leslie West was in best shape. Another big influence here is ZZ Top, and HONKY do not only quote from the first three albums, but also from the newer ones, which are in my opinion way better than the horrible 80's stuff. Famous US-Hardrock giants like Aerosmith or Ted Nugent have also left their traces in the band's sound and the result is a highly entertaining album, that contains some real good tunes as, for example, the heavy groovin' "Trespassin'", or "Walkin' On Moonshine, a relaxed song with additional slide-guitar. "Broken Days" is heavy blues as its best, with additional female background vocals and a hammond B3 organ, while "White Knuckle Pass" sounds like an outtake from the first Gluecifer mini-album. This are four outstanding songs, and even if not every track is a winner, it's always a pleasure for me to listen to "Balls Out Inn", because it ROCKZ!!!
(KK)