LUANN HUNT
Backroads, Bottles, & Blues
The Rhythm – Truck Stops & Honkytonks –
Broken Branches – Lightning In A Bottle – Old Tobacco Road – Whiskey
Wisdom – Love Led Us Here
Wow I’ve been waiting for this recording for a long time. I can
finally say ‘Hey Nashville take a few steps back while a ‘real’ country
song and artist takes front stage. Well maybe not just a few steps,
take a lot of steps back, here’s a country album that a whole big bunch
of people have been waiting for a long time to hear.” The fiddle? Yep,
here it is right back where it needs to be, and it is done so
incredibly well you’d think you’d just taken a step back in time. This
review is going to be hard for me because it contains so many of the
elements that made country music in America such a beloved genre of
music, and certainly a musical style and treat we don’t hear anymore on
so-called country radio. The very first track is the best song on this
album. It has all the elements that a true country music lover is
always looking for, and it’s also in how it is played. The ‘fiddle’ is
back, but it’s not just a background instrument it takes a forceful
‘lead’ just right for the melody line. There’s a great piano player on
this session too, sounds like an old upright, and honky tonk for sure,
but not quite. It’s the ‘style’ this player is using that brings it to
the forefront so easy to listen to. It’s the vocalist that brings the
‘true’ country sound back to us. Luann Hunt has that ‘just right’ drawl
that makes her country. BUT, she has a beautiful voice too, and
complements the song totally. Hmmmm that song “The Rhythm” has all the
words that are missing in today’s so-called country music. It’s also
interesting because it was written by Dave Berg, the Executive Producer
of NBC’s “Tonight Show” during all the Jay Leno years. So why is he
writing ‘country’ music? He always has, and this ‘gem’ is one that
Nashville should be scared of because it could very well take all of the
‘true’ country music fans right back where they want to be…..among
‘real’ country music. Oh sure the electric guitar is here and it’s
honky tonkin’ too. Drums too, but tastefully done in the background,
not as a ‘lead’ instrument. All the elements are on this one, and best
of all is Luanne Hunts incredibly good ‘hillbilly voice’ that fits this
music so very nicely. Nashville can call Australian rock and roll
country music, but they aren’t quite sure, huh? Luanne Hunt can sing a
country song and the instant you hear it you KNOW this is what we liked
about country music in the past so much. One thing is sure, Corporate
decision makers still ‘control’ all that they own, but they don’t ‘own’
Luanne Hunt, so I’ll be looking forward to something wonderful to happen
to her with this release. There are some incredibly good additional
country songs on this release as well, most of them written by Steve
Hunt, Luanne’s husband. In these tracks we get to hear some incredibly
good harmonica as well as the other ‘typical’ country music
instruments. This whole session takes us through a wonderful trip down
memory lane as well as a step forward in how ‘real’ country music
‘could’ sound today. Much congratulations to Luanne Hunt, her husband
Steve, and Dave Berg for giving us the opportunity to restore our faith
in the American ‘country’ spirit.
www.music-savers.com RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, President National Traditional Country Music Association for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show