Intense Records

Firewater (2x12")

Snakefarm Records
SNAKE858268
Country / Folk, Record Store Day, Rock
2x12"

£26.67 (£32.00 incl. VAT)

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This double LP re-issue of the Texan band's second studio album, originally issued in 2011, comes complete with original artwork, lyrics plus three bonus tracks; it's a first time on vinyl (outside of the US) for a record that saw Whiskey Myers finding their collective voice, taking more time in the studio and selecting a producer who encouraged them to develop their own ideas. Whiskey Myers did not (DO not) want to follow in anyone else's bootsteps, and the decision to ask Leroy Powell (Nashville-based guitarist, arranger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, a man who'd played with Shooter Jennings both live and on record) to helm the 'Firewater' recordings was made with originality in mind the desire to put their own spin on southern rock 'n' roll. Brent Cobb's 'Bar, Guitar And A Honky Tonk Crowd' was picked as lead single due to its rock 'n' roll edge ("The moment I heard it, I knew it's a song I should have written!" WM frontman, Cody Cannon), and Powell's name figures in the writing credits across three of the tracks, but there's no question that the songs penned or co-penned by the band themselves are right up there with the best, carrying a stamp of authenticity that only comes from living by a chosen set of rules. There's 'Anna Marie', written my Cody Cannon and John Jeffers in a bathroom in Oklahoma (!), the haunting 'Virginia', the personal 'Broken Window Serenade' and, above all, 'Ballad Of A Southern Man', with its 'I guess that's something you don't understand' refrain Over the years, Southern Rock has thrown up a revered selection of songs pre-fixed by the word 'classic', and time will surely see 'Ballad' taking its place on said list.It's a highlight of the live show and it draws a line in the red dirt for a band who fans can consistently believe in.