The Reverend Horton Heat
Revival
Release Date: Jun 29, 2004
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Rockabilly
Record label: Yep Roc
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Album Review: Revival by The Reverend Horton Heat
Very Good, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
After nearly 15 years as the most frantic act in the rockabilly cosmos, Jim Heath and his partners in the Reverend Horton Heat seem to be slowing down just a bit, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Revival, Heat's eighth album, finds Heath cutting back the tempos and aiming for a slightly more subtle approach, though his guitar work is blazingly fluid as ever. The less manic attack was doubtless informed by the material, which finds Heath dealing with some serious themes for a change.
Opinion: Fairly Good
The 1990s brought on a slew of third-generation genre revivals by bands lacking in vitality. Ska, rockabilly, lounge and swing beats bubbled out of late-'80s punk clubs, as former non-musicians acquired chops, and realized some of their yard sale LPs had more than camp value. It was all good natured, but most of the output blended those mid-century dance steps with contemporary guitar sounds, creating fusion as off-putting as watery funk-jazz and chili cookoff blues.