The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns – Rockabilly Deluxe [2013]
Lanark Records
King of the Slot Car Track – Long Gone Daddy – Bowling Alley Baby – Wild Crazy and Out of Control – Paranoid Boy – I Used to Be the One – I got the Shakes – I’m Obsessed – It’s Rock & Roll – The Light So Bright
The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns approach their brand of modern rockabilly with a punkish attitude. Their motto here seems to be “Grab them by the balls, don’t let them go and keep it short!“. With ten songs all written or co-written by guitarist, label owner, producer, arranger Quentin Jones, it’s “misson completed” for the quartet. It’s a mix of powerful rock’n’roll, some with horns, classic rockabilly, a bit of 80’s neo-rockabilly and even some mariachi stuff with a bit of surf thrown in for good measure. The two highlights are “Wild Crazy and Out of Control” that sounds like an anthem and “I’m obsessed” a superb melodic rocker that could be a potential hit if the radio had enough “you know what” to play real rock’n’roll.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis