Rockin’ Bonnie & the Rot Gut Shots – Cocktail Jubilee
El Toro ETCD3024 {2009}
Bell Bottom Boogie – Gotta Honky Tonk – What Am I Worth – Kitty Kat Corner – All Of This – Burnin’ – I’m Hurtin’ Again – I Love Booze – I Wanna Make Love – I Heard About You – I Start Messin’ Around- Juke Box Blues – Papa Boogie – Bring Along Your Lovin’ – Time’s A Waistin’
The debut album of this young Italian lady was one of the good surprise of 2009.
Backed by a bunch of well know faces who happen to be brilliant musicians too (including Nuno from the Boppin’ Boozers on slap bass, Max from the Starlighters who wrote six originals- on guitar and steel guitar, Manuel from Hot Tubes on drums and Jerry on piano from too many bands to mention here).
The band takes great advantage of Jerry’s pounding piano and opens the set with the fantastic Bell Bottom Boogie. The core of the set is made of hillbilly and hillbilly boogie, some very rural (I Heard About You), others with fine bluesy licks (I Wanna Make Love), but you also find country waltz with harmonies (All Of This close to the early Ranch Girls stuff), wild rock’n’roll with Jerry in full Jerry Lee mode (Burnin’), rockabilly (I’m Hurtin’ Again, Kitty Kat Corner), jazz (I Love Booze) a bit of western swing (Papa Boogie).
As said before the musicianship is top notch, but that’s Sabrina (Rockin’ Bonnie)’s voice that steals the show. She rocks like Lorrie Collins, has the country flair of Patsy Cline and shares with June Carter the same fun and abandon.
Highly recommended.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
