You know, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to listen to a band who seems to be having a hell of a lot of fun.
The Royal Hounds, an unquantifiable (at various times, they feature Western swing, bluegrass, polka, blues, and country) band from Nashville, seems to be having that fun. Their new album, A Whole Lot Of Nothin’ is a romp through styles, songs, and instrumental breakdowns, and is one of the better things I’ve heard this year.
The Royal Hounds are not a joke, though. Far from it; lead singer Scott Hines is a veteran of Vegas reviews, drummer Nathan Place lays down a powerful beat, and guitarist Matheus Canteri is incredibly talented, playing multiple styles and sounds like some sort of six-string shapeshifter. (He’s also the only country guitarist I’ve ever heard who was from Brazil, so that counts for something).
Any album that starts out with “Cheap Drunk,” an ode to well tequila and having other people buy your drinks, is automatically ascending into the higher strata of cool. From there “Whole Lot” stampedes through too many hippies at the honky-tonk (“I Just Can’t Two-Step”), dead musicians (“Pickin’ In The Graveyard”), and a seasonal tune where outlaw country artists saves Santa and Christmas (“Krismastofferson”). Add in a couple of tight instrumentals, a couple of great breakup songs (“I Hope You Go To Hell” and “Invitation To Be Lonely”), and a surprisingly poignant closer (“The Jukebox Is Broken”), and you have one heck of a fine album.
The highlight for me, though, was the incredibly dirty polka “Bring Out The Barrel Of Beer.” Yes, I said dirty. Yes, it’s frickin’ hilarious. Trust me.
Far from being nothing, A Whole Lot Of Nothin’ is really something. Check it out today.
