Believe

...it doesn't stick to my ribs quite like "Cockadoodle Don't". That second album from this amazing band was one of the finest, most original things I've heard in years. (Actually the band has changed more times than you can count - it's the front man that never changes: J.D. Wilkes, who may be the best harp player working now.) But this most recent offering doesn't seem to be quite as original, quite as addictive. It took me several days to play all of it, for instance - I kept finding something else to do, unlike Cockadoodle, which got played 3 times back to back the first time I heard it. The songs are all great - tight, screaming rock typical of the genre, but lots of the sounds are very derivative (you could, of course, call them "classic") and seem lifted right out of other albums. One song has a pure 70's hard rock sound - Led Zepplin would be proud. The next has a classic 1-4-5-1 blues lick that seems mundane in comparison to what Wilkes is capable of writing. Then there's some klezmer stuff that sounds like it came from a deranged Jewish wedding. All fun, all listenable, but compare any of it to "CB Song", or "Devil's Night Auction" or "Pine Tree Boogie", and the difference is apparent. I'm glad I got this, and will give it many many more listens, but for album #4 I hope the good Colonel can dig up that Mason Jar of inspiration that brought us album #2. This is still one of the most amazing bands working now, and their live show is a draining experience.

These guys do not disappoint! I'm a mission now to collect everything they've ever released and to someday see them perform live. (Their shows really are LEGENDARY!) For reals, this album is pure genius...dark, eclectic,rootsy, clean psychobilly with an almost gypsy/polka-esque flavor (here and there) throughout, which I absolutely adore! The songwriting kicks ass and takes names. Check out some of the songs that have been posted on youtube, if you don't believe me. I listened to this album 2x thru in rapid sucession and still haven't had enough...in fact, screw it...I'm done with this review. Ima gonna go listen AGAIN! <3 you Shack Shakers!

I really dig this band and this album doesn't let down, in fact I like them even more. This is the best americana music to date in my opinion.

Good stuff! A great album from a great band. This is the 3rd Shack Shakers album I have purchased and I have yet to be disappointed. Believe is the first of 3 concept albums. You can tell that the band has grown since this album, but it is still a very good piece. If you enjoy good American music and have an open mind, give it a listen. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Nashville's Legendary Shack Shakers are a punk blues rockabilly trio that rock like Rev. Horton Heat run into Southern Culture on the Skids at a roadhouse somewhere on a dark road in the South. Songwriter and vocalist Col. J.D. Wilkes wails through the distortion of his vintage bullet-shaped microphone like (to quote their publicity) "a punk song and dance man" - an apt description of his high-octance performances - both live and on record.The disc opens with the adrenal klezmer of "Agony Wagon," that's sure to inspire a polka frenzy as the fiddle, clarinet and twangy electric guitar battle for supremacy. From there the disc rocks a bit more straight-forwardly, with the Marilyn Manson-esque march beat of "Where's the Devil... When You Need Him?" giving way to the gutter blues of "Piss and Vinegar." There's psychobilly to be had, but tunes like "County of Graves" carry a Southern gothic edge in their fiddle that lend a flavor apart from The Cramps and their ilk.The vintage mic is the perfect instrument for the CB-styled "Cussin' in Tongues," and Wilke's harp blows blue for a blistering cover of Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Dixon's "Help Me." Vocal distortions add a creepy edge throughout the disc, but besides the waltz-time "The Pony to Bet On" and the klezmer coda, "Misery Train," the band never cools down enough for the vocals to seem out of place. This is one relentless record.

I'll briefly reiterate what several other reviews have said: this is psychobilly, a blend of blues, punk, country and a couple of other things in what is the most unique, yet traditional sound in recent music history. Contradictory? Thus is the nature of the Legendary Shack Shakers.My album favorite track is 'Piss and Vinegar', but there is no really bad track on the album. No ballads, no introspection (well, OK, 'Pony to Bet On' is kind of introspective), just raw energy that crawls on top off your brain and hops frantically around, demanding your attention. This isn't background music.LSS is lyrically wicked without excessive crudity, blending their styles without the slightest hiccup.Definitely recommend buying this new and for listening to the entire album.*At the time, Amazon defines every song on here as "Explicit", which is ridiculous. A quick review of the lyric shows the most volatile lyric to be a singular application of the d-word(would Amazon even beep that? I don't know). The Colonel has always designed his lyrics so they could shared across age lines with minimal fuss. There are no "explicit" songs on this album.