| Sharp Dressed Men - Various Artists | |
|
Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
When I heard that this CD was coming out, I instantly wanted to hear it. My father had played their music when I was a kid and thus I recognized a lot of the songs that were covered by Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Tracy Byrd, Kenny Chesney, Andy Griggs, Alan Jackson, Lonestar, Montgomery Gentry, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Phil Vassar, the Warren Brothers Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III and Dwight Yoakam.
While some of the songs stay close to the originals, there are a few curve balls thrown in such as Brad Paisley melding his brand of music and guitar playing with ZZ Top's on the title track to Willie Nelson changing the arrangement of "She Loves My Automobile" into a roots rock classic that is pure Willie and features Willie's famous guitar, "Trigger."
Records like "Sharp Dressed Man - A Tribute to ZZ Top" are labors of love for the creators and give a chance for normally placid artists to stretch their artistic wings without alienating their fan base while some artists like Dwight Yoakam, "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," and Hank Williams Jr., "Jesus Just Left Chicago/Waitin' For The Bus - Medley" are very comfortable with the material they perform on the CD.
Brooks & Dunn cover "Rough Boy" and make it their own. It was especially interesting to hear Kix sing the lead vocals that make this song sound like it came off of the Top Gun movie soundtrack.
"La Grange" finds Tracy Byrd taking this ZZ classic and making it his own bluesy concoction. I never knew that Tracy could sing this type of song and it's neat to hear what a bluesy song by Tracy would sound like.
Andy Griggs is one of the newer artists who fit the ZZ top mentality. He considers himself to be similar to Travis Tritt in that he identifies with the "Outlaw" movement more than the other artists do. Andy takes "I Need You Tonight" and does a faithful cover of it full with the emotion the song deserves.
"Cheap Sunglasses" is a ZZ Top concert favorite and who better to take the song about the cheapest sunglasses you could possibly find than to have the Warren Brothers sing this bluesy song complete with a great harmonica interlude performed by Brett Warren. The electric guitar is done by Brad Warren.
"Legs" is probably one of the hardest ZZ Top classics that anyone could possibly do. The song with the cool MTV video, "Legs" is covered by Trace Adkins and he injects the modern baritone voice that is needed to keep this song grounded and tied to the original.
As far as rockin' country artists go, Montgomery Gentry are the best. They show up on this CD with their version of the fun "Just Got Paid." This one stays similar to the original and the duo's interchanging vocals make it stand out.
Perhaps the most original cover on the CD is performed by the least-known artist, Hank Williams III. Hank III is as rebellious to his dad's music as Hank Jr. Was to Sr.'s after a while. What's eerie is that Hank III looks like a reincarnation of Hank Sr. On "Fearless Boogie" Hank III really makes the CD a must have with his strange vocal distortion over this bluesy song.
When you add the sum of the parts, Sharp Dressed Men - A Tribute to ZZ Top is one fine collection of songs that showcase a country artist's wilder and fun side.
Song List:
Album cover, used with permission of RCA.
Click on the button below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
