Honky-tonks, hot rods and a half-dozen bottles of bourbon. Welcome to the wild and woolly world of the Reverend Horton Heat. It's been 10 years, four record labels and endless gallons of booze and premium unleaded since the good Reverend (aka Chris Heath) first introduced us to his blistering brand of deep-fried, Texas-style rockabilly. And with the Heat's latest, "Lucky 7," this former pool shark continues to crank out aural fire and brimstone that sounds like The Cramps, Butthole Surfers and Jerry Lee Lewis all rolled into one.
Most of the new album is double-dipped in the same high-octane intensity that marked the Heat's best work, the '94 release "Liquor in the Front." But, here, backed by his trusty sidekick Jimbo on standup bass and Scott "Chernobyl" Churrila on drums, the Reverend has expanded his guitar work even more into beefed-up blues, bluegrass and surf. None of the boys, however, have strayed from their vices. "Lucky 7" centers on two of them: wheels and women.
All admitted car fetishists, Heat and company pay homage to their gas-guzzlers on songs like "Galaxy 500" and "Suicide Doors." The track "Like a Rocket" was even chosen as the theme song for this year's Daytona 500.