Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top
(RCA)
Release Date: 04/30/2002 12:00
Handing country cheeseballs like Lonestar and Kenny Chesney the keys to ZZ Tops high-octane blues-rock? Bad idea: Lonestar wouldnt know twang if it bit off their legs. Sure, Brooks & Dunns Rough Boy is no worse than the Texas trios uncharacteristically lame original, and a few mavericks keep this ham-fisted tribute from disaster. Dwight Yoakam and Alan Jackson arent afraid to bring the twang to Im Bad, Im Nationwide and Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell, respectively, while Hank Williams III and his dad, Hank Jr., separately recall ZZ Tops pre-synth roots as a badass blues band. But the sharpest hombre here is the ever-reliable Willie Nelson, who takes She Loves My Automobile for a spin through Bob Wills country proving that the best way to honor the little ol band from Texas is to mess with it, Texas-style.