Ten incredible and diverse songs!
author: Jennifer Jowsey
LOVE this album! Ten incredible and diverse songs! Though billed as "country," there's plenty of variety here to satisfy most music fans. Johnny Hickman and Jim Dalton, the core duo and songwriters of the group, alternate lead vocals on the songs, giving a whole other dynamic to the album.
"Wildcard" is a guitar rocker that is a perfect high-energy opener. "No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" is a minimalist track that still manages to convey a bluesy feel – a touch of a Stray Cats vibe, a little early Billy Joel. "Construction Man" is blue collar hoedown fun.
"Too Many Years" and "(Come On Back To) Stockton" are the lyrical standouts on the album. Both are "remember when"-themed, invoking a wistfulness and appreciation for times gone by. However, they are very different musically: "Too Many Years" utilizes acoustic and steel guitar and piano to set a more somber tone of recollection, while "Stockton" is an electric guitar-driven hope for for an uncorrupted reunion.
"You Got A Problem," "Mr. Wrong," and "Let's Toke The Whole Day Off" are country-flavored fun. Jim Dalton channels Johnny Cash in "Long White Line," a moody, mellow ode to the road.
"Elizabeth" is my overall favorite – a country-rockin' sweet declaration of unshakable love to a lucky girl named Liz.
I've played this album constantly from the day I got it, and I have no signs of tiring of this rich mix of tunes.
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I absolutely LOVE this album!
author: just j
"They're a good gang," says my six-year-old of The Hickman-Dalton Gang after her first listen to Volume II. I must agree. This magnificent album spans the country spectrum, also channeling a little jazz ("No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" and bluegrass ("Construction Man") along the way. It makes you laugh ("You Got a Problem"), it makes you cry ("Too Many Years") and it makes you think ("Long White Line"). And sometimes, it just makes you have a good time ("Wildcard" and a remake of "Mr. Wrong," with the third verse missing from the original Cracker recording). So please support the superb collaboration
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