There’s a memorable line in The Blues Brothers movie where Jake asks the proprietor’s wife what kind of music they play and she confides, “oh, we have both kinds, country AND western.” I get that same sentiment from the latest album out of L.A.’s West Of Texas, their sophomore release Hot Motel Nights. Although front man Jerry Zinn notes “I do feel this album has a lot of range”, that’s a relative statement. Along with co-producer Ted Russell Kamp, Zinn has put together a record that traverses the landscape of traditional country and western music, and is totally unapologetic for not straying outside those boundaries.
That focus gets started right out of the gate with Wall Of Memories, a twangy country shuffle with a touch of western swing. I Only Listen To Heartbreak Songs was inspired by a snide comment from Zinn’s soon-to-be ex and features a sweet bass line, perhaps influenced by Kamp’s long running stint as an in-demand bassist. Whiskey, Wine & Empty Bottles is a honky tonk dance number where, despite a plea that “a man’s got the right to say how wrong he’s been,” Zinn finds himself talking to the bottom of a bottle again. Get Back In Here is an uptempo cut that’s somewhere between rockabilly and a Junior Brown trucker song.
One of the things you can’t help but notice on several tracks is the velvety smooth baritone of Zinn’s vocals. I Hate the World Again features it on a lament about the end of a storybook relationship. I’ll Ask Gin is a slow country ballad, but with some background bits of timpani and glockenspiel it invokes a little of 70’s Nashville orchestral leanings. 15% More Of Your Love is an 80’s country pick that also features a smoother treatment of vocal and instrumental arrangements. I Can Almost Taste the Whiskey is where the lingering sweetness of the bourbon and “the cherry lip gloss makes me never want to quit.” It’s the stuff movie scripts are made of, and I swear the video for the song owes a nod to Urban Cowboy.
There are all kinds of reasons why artists push past their core strengths. Giving their fans something new, expanding their own skills, there are plenty of good motivations to push the envelope. Sometimes though, when you want a whiskey, you just want a whiskey, not a Mint Julep or a Vieux Carre. Along those lines, if you’re in the mood for some old school country music, drop the needle on a vinyl copy of West Of Texas’ Hot Motel Nights. Neat.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.