Bottle Rockets
24 Hours a Day
Atlantic Records
Release Date: August 5, 1997
It's right there in Atlantic's own pitch lit: another stupid comparison between the Bottle Rockets and Lynyrd Skynyrd. But this ain't no "Sweet Home Alabama," and it's not the Jeff Foxworthy Show either. That's not to say the Bottle Rockets have some magic potion that can turn Ian MacKaye into Ronnie VanZant; if the smell of hush puppies makes your stomach turn, then you'll hate 24 Hours A Day, too. But if you've ever had a soft spot for music from the warm side of the Mason-Dixon, then the Bottle Rockets might just be the best you've ever heard.
This is Missouri's take on alternative rock: not very alternative, but it sure does rock. When the Bottle Rockets snarl, there's no green-haired punk that's meaner. And when they laugh, their sharp wit is as clever a cultural critique as any counterculture cynic can deliver. Musically, their sound is honest and straightforward, easy on the guitar solos and heavy on well-crafted songsmanship and driving drumwork. I'm sure the band counts Drivin n Cryin among its kinsmen, and singer Brian Henneman must own at least one Steve Earle album.
24 Hours A Day is far from a disappointment, but it doesn't quite live up to the impossible expectations the band set with its debut album, The Brooklyn Side. 24 Hours' busted-car song ("Indianapolis") isn't quite as funny as the one on The Brooklyn Side (the stellar "1000 Dollar Car"), and the angriest track on the group's latest effort ("Waitin' on a Train") doesn't pack quite the punch of the scathing "Sunday Sports" from album number one. Still, this release -- which broadens the band's appeal into some compelling slow songs as well -- solidifies the Bottle Rockets as a force to be reckoned with, regardless of whether anyone in your family has ever flown the Dixie flag.
-- Chris Schwartz
schwartz@outersound.com
