Jesse James Dupree and Dixie Inc Rev It Up And Go-Go Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing, if a bit odd, disc. The first half of the album is a combination of metallic hard rock with southern rock and bits of country. That blend is probably not all the unheard of for fans of Dupree’s main band, Jackyl. It works really well. The second half of the disc might be where they have trouble. It’s a tongue in cheek – at least I hope so – full on country show. This is either recorded live (in front of an audience that seems to get the joke) or is made up to sound like it is. While this section of the disc might be a bit of a “throw you off” approach, it works quite well in the same way Hayseed Dixie does. All in all this disc might not appeal to everyone but it’s certainly fun nonetheless.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Rev It Up And Go-Go A motorcycle revving starts this. Then banjo joins. Metallic guitar is added to the mix. There is some jus harp in this thing. It's a hard rocker at it heart. This thing is really screaming hot. I suppose you could make comparisons to AC/DC in some ways. Still, it's fierce and stomping. The bluegrass elements are gone after the introduction, but come back for a quick exclamation after an instrumental section and then at the end.
Bite
The country and southern rock have been pulled from the mix this time. It’s a raw old school metal jam that’s just plain rocks! You might hear Saxon on this – or even a more metallic Nazareth.
Drop Dead Ready
Mix some Motley Crue with a killer Nazareth like riff. You’ve got a good idea of this scorcher. There’s a real groove to it and it’s another great tune – continuing the cycle.
Tank
This one begins with a stripped down back porch bluesy section but quickly powers out into one of the most purely hard rocking metal sounds we’ve heard so far. It’s a real screamer. The main riff on this one is really something special.
Wash Me Away
While there is a mellower section built into this one, I’d have to say that it feels just a bit too much like the one that preceded it. I think a different position on the album would have served it better to keep it unique. Still, this is another killer track that works quite well.
1095 Days
Another that reminds me a lot of Nazareth, a good chunk of this is in the form of a raw rock ballad. The cut is powered up a bit for the choruses and such, but really is an anthemic ballad.
Money Lovin And Speed
This is a frantically paced, raw around the edges screamer.
Get To Me
Built on an extremely bluesy riff, this is another killer cut. It’s got some cool slide guitar.
One Extreme Intro
What sounds like a little kid introduces Dixie Inc and they take it out into a full country jam for a minute or so.
Welcome To The Show This is a spoken from the stage bit of introduction to the show.
The Party
Here we get a countrified rocker that’s not metal at tall. The guitar solo segment on this really feels a lot like The Allman Brothers.
Reality Star Intro
Here’s a little spoken introduction to the next song.
Reality Star
We get some more pure country on this cut. It’s energetic and fun.
A.J. White's
Here’s a message from our sponsor.
Well Enough
There’s still a large dose of country in this, but it’s got a lot of hard rock built into its design, too. I like this one a lot.
Fire It Up
Here’s another commercial.
Had To Get Stoned
We only get a little rock in this, but lots of real country music. It’s a real hoe-down kind of piece.
American As Apple Pie
Here’s another commercial moment.
Far Out
We get a smoking rock and roll groove here with just a hint of country. There’s a definite retro element to this. It’s catchy and fun.
One Extreme Outro
We get a reprise of the first country song we heard here as the closing shot to the disc.
