The Reverend Horton Heat

After stepping back to the organ-guitar-drum trio heyday of the 1950s on 2008’s Hi-Fi Stereo, the good Reverend, aka Jim Heath, has returned to his psychobilly roots with this, his 11th CD since coming strong out of the chute in 1992. Working in the same vein as Southern Culture on the Skids, The Legendary Shack Shakers and Nashville Pussy, guitarist Heath and his trio (bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Paul Simmons) continue to wreak havoc on America’s musical and cultural landscapes by celebrating a primarily rural, Southern (in this case Texas) lifestyle. On “‘Oh God’ Doesn’t Work in Vegas” you could (and should) substitute the name of your favorite casino since this up-tempo paean to playing describes the futility of praying that—for example—the next card will bring your total to 21. Things slow down on “Just Let Me Hold My Paycheck,” a song with which we all can identify, with the reverend—now in rather reduced circumstances—pleading “Just let me sit here and fantasize about all the things I now forgo.” In between his humorous lyrics he fires off some hot solos on the fast goods and even essays a waltz on the closer, “Spacewalk,” a dreamy variation of Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk.”