Russ Still and the Moonshiners Still Cookin' Review by Gary Hill
This is a cool set of songs. As someone who came of age in the 1970s, this really demonstrates how musical labels have changed over the years. This is considered country music today. In the 1970s acts like this were considered rock music. Sure, there was a country edge, but it was all rock. A classic example is the fact that The Eagles are apparently considered a country act these days. I think that it all comes from the emergence of a type of country music that's really just pop music with a twang. Once you accept that as country, the whole spectrum shifts toward more things being included. The thing is, if you like country music, you will probably like this quite a bit. If you like bands like The Marshall Tucker Band, The Outlaws and 38 Special you should love this.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Promised Land
A cool hard rocking sound opens this. The cut out from there into a jam that's part country music and part bluesy hard rock. This is classy stuff and a great way to start the set in style. A drop back mid-track is very jazz oriented and includes some cool bass work. We're deposited back into the song proper to take it through to the end.
Long Way From Home
More balladic, the mix of classic hard rock and country remains intact here. This is a classy tune that feels like something The Outlaws or Lynyrd Skynyrd might do.
Glorine’s
I dig this cut quite a bit. There is even a bit of a funk edge to it. It's mid-tempo and classic in sound. It's much more of a classic rock jam than it is country, but there is a bit of a country element at play, too. I can make out some jazz on this one, too.
I Can't
"Country rock" would be a good description of this slower, more balladic tune.
Going Fishin’
Now, this is country music, but it has a lot of rock and pop in the mix, too. The chorus is catchy. The guitar playing has a bit of a gritty blues rock edge. It's a catchy tune that's one of the most instantly accessible things here.
Juanita
This feels like a cross between the Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead as it opens. As the vocals join, I'm reminded of something like The Marshall Tucker Band. Here we get another solid classic rock styled piece. This type of music was all over the radio in the 1970s. It wasn't considered country then, though. It was rock music.
10,000 Ways
The acoustic guitar that opens this feels like something Neil Young would write. The cut grows out from there to another classic rock styled ballad. This is pretty and powerful. It gets more powered up. It's almost a power ballad.
Workin’ Class Hunter
The music to this has a cool mix of electric blues and old school slide blues. The vocals bring a country edge to the piece, though. This is tied heavily to classic sounds, but also modern rocking at the same time.
Run Away
The rocking intro on this somehow makes me think of 38 Special a bit. In fact, the whole song has a bit of that vibe. That said, this has more character and meat than most of 38 Special's music does. It's a solid country based rocker that works well.
