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High Hat (6 String Drag album)

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High Hat
Studio album by
6 String Drag
Released1997
StudioRoom & Board
LabelE-Squared[1]
Producerthe twangtrust
6 String Drag chronology
6 String Drag
(1994) 		High Hat
(1997) 		The JAG Sessions – Rare & Unreleased 1996-1998
(2014)

High Hat is the second album by the American band 6 String Drag, released in 1997.[2][3] The album cover was created by drummer Ray Duffey.[4]

The band broke up the next year, before reuniting in the 2010s.[5]

Production

[edit]

Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy, under their twangtrust production name.[6][7][8] The band spent five weeks in the studio, over two sessions in late 1996 and early 1997.[9]

The songs were written or cowritten by frontman Kenny Roby.[10] "Over & Over" incorporates elements of Dixieland music.[11] "Ghost" was recorded live, in one take.[9] Earle guested on "I Can't Remember".[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The Baltimore Sun[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[14]
Orlando Sentinel[15]
St. Paul Pioneer Press[16]
The State[17]

The Chicago Reader determined that "the tunes are catchy and the execution is succinct, and while singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Kenny Roby has yet to develop a distinct musical personality, he’s got the raw material to do so: his nasal croon carries him from fragile ballads into full-tilt rockers and his hooks sink in."[18] The Washington City Paper concluded: "Like the Bottle Rockets, 6 String Drag plays country-tinged rock not only for the meaning but for the fun of it. In a Son Volt world, that’s a big deal; better to err on the side of the lightweight, as High Hat occasionally does, than to romanticize 12-pack-sodden gloom."[19]

The Orlando Sentinel labeled "Elaine" "a pretty pop tune vaguely reminiscent of both Roy Orbison and the Everlys."[15] Stereo Review stated that "6 String Drag fits into the alt-rock category but moves away from boring melodies, cryptic lyrics. and half-dead vocals to fuse a rootsrock/country fest of infectious hooks and literate writing that is not just winning but inspiring."[20] The State deemed it "a gritty, rough-around-the-edges record that crackles with instrumental spontaneity and hearty singing."[17] The St. Paul Pioneer Press praised the "endearing Junior Brown-goofiness."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "6 String Drag expands their sound to include the influences of Dixieland and Stax/Volt-era soul; combined with their already impressive grasp of country and rock, High Hat is an exciting crazy-quilt of styles."[13] Reviewing the 2018 reissue, Goldmine called High Hat "one of alt-country’s cornerstone albums."[21]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Bottle of Blues" 
2."Elaine" 
3."Gasoline Maybelline" 
4."Guilty" 
5."Red" 
6."Driven Man" 
7."From Me to Clayton" 
8."Cold Steel Brace" 
9."85 on 85" 
10."Ghost" 
11."I Can't Remember" 
12."Over & Over" 
13."Top of the Mountain" 
14."Keep on Pushin'" 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Martin, Richard (Nov 1997). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 51. pp. 51–52.
  2. ^ "6 String Drag Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (22 Jan 1998). "A tale of two bands (and one city)". Austin American-Statesman. p. 12.
  4. ^ Schulman, Sandra (2 Sep 1997). "Americana". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3E.
  5. ^ Seely, Mike (March 21, 2018). "6 String Drag's Kenny Roby on Alt-Country Band's Reunion, Working with Steve Earle". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ Verna, Paul (Jan 10, 1998). "High Hat". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 2. p. 69.
  7. ^ Allen, Jim (March 28, 2018). "6 String Drag Gives Alt-Country a New Spin on Top of the World". Indy Week.
  8. ^ "6 String Drag – Carolina, In The Pines". No Depression. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b Credle, Melanie (August 29, 1997). "6 String Breaks – Look what that cat Steve Earle dragged in...". Preview. The Herald-Sun. p. 12.
  10. ^ Bernhardt, Jack (August 29, 1997). "Raleigh's 6 String Drag offers just enough twang with their lyrical rock to qualify as alternative country...". What's Up. The News & Observer. p. 12.
  11. ^ a b "6 String Drag High Hat". Features. The Baltimore Sun. 9 Apr 1998. p. 10.
  12. ^ Franco, Jose (September 5, 1997). "6 String Drag's indescribable sound". Herald-Journal. p. D9.
  13. ^ a b "High Hat". AllMusic.
  14. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1023–1024.
  15. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (17 Oct 1997). "Roots-Rock – Musical Antidote to Grunge". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 8.
  16. ^ a b Walsh, Jim (September 12, 1997). "Go Ahead ... Become a New Member of the Alt.Country Club". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1E.
  17. ^ a b Miller, Michael (September 5, 1997). "Clemson Connections". Weekend. The State. p. 12.
  18. ^ Margasak, Peter (February 12, 1998). "6 String Drag". Chicago Reader.
  19. ^ Wright, Rickey (November 7, 1997). "High Hat". Washington City Paper.
  20. ^ Nash, Alanna (Dec 1997). "High Hat". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 12. p. 122.
  21. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Reviews: Six String Drag". Goldmine.
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