Hank 3
Brothers of the 4×4
Hank 3 Records
Street: 10.01
Hank 3 (on this record) = David Allan Coe + Johnny Paycheck
If you’re like me and you respect everything Hank 3 does—from the grind metal to his early traditional country work, and everything in between, but you wish he’d focus on making honest-to-goodness country music, a honky-tonk-as-hell kinda record, then this is for you. It’s been obvious to me that the very vocal, third-generation country music rebel has decided, in recent years, to let his prolificacy do the talking. He’s released six records since 2011. No, this isn’t a straight country record by any stretch of the imagination, but I do feel that when Hank 3 hears his country music in his head, this is what it sounds like. With an almost gothic approach, Hank gets down in the dirt as only he can do. “Outdoor Plan” is a standout track: Its romantic vision of a hillbilly mountain living is nearly serene. While so many people want him to be so different many things, Hank 3’s entire existence is based on him being himself, and that’s my favorite thing about him. –James Orme