The Reverend Horton Heat

Revival (Yep Roc)
by Ari M. Joffe

Never experienced the fiery rockabilly gospel of The Reverend Horton Heat? Well, pal, here’s a great place to start. Jim “Reverend Horton” Heath & company have been layin’ it down like a runaway locomotive for a while now, and Revival is, cut-for-cut, one of their consistently best albums to date. This is rock that rolls. It’s boogie and fast-as-hell jump rhythms with some distorted, twanged-out Chuck Berry and Link Wray riffs. Simple formula, but the trio’s chops make the execution oh-so-effective. “Indigo Friends,” “Callin’ In Twisted,” and the great ballad about Heath’s recently-deceased mother, “Someone In Heaven,” are gonna break the “previous track” button on your CD player. Plus, this release comes with a bonus DVD featuring a few live performances and a documentary about The Rev.’s early days in Texas.
(www.yeproc.com)