CD REVIEW: SCOTT SOUTHWORTH – HEY HILLBILLY SINGER – BY RITCHIE
RITCHISON
FOR COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE AND RADIO SHOW
Hey Hillbilly Singer
The Honky Tonk in Me
Nothing Left To Fight For
Nobody Leaves This World Alive
Put Another Quarter in the Ride
Wish I Was Here
Last Stop Luckenbach
Why Can’t Everyday Be Friday Night
Cigar Store Indian
I Ain’t Leavin Town
I’ll Always Remember This
Another older album that came in for review. 2018’s Hey Hillbilly Singer. This is yet
another fine effort from Scott Southworth following on the heels of The Last Honky Tonk
in Town.
This album was Scott’s most commercial success to date garnering an Album of the
Year award at the Academy of Western Artists Awards Show in Ft. Worth Texas and
finding its way into nearly every best of list for 2018.
While I like this album and it has several really good cuts on it, it is not my favorite Scott
Southworth album. While the good songs really shine the other songs just don’t seem to
measure up.
Don’t get me wrong there is plenty to enjoy on this disc like the song featuring Bobby
Marquez and poking fun at the current Nashville establishment trying to rid the fair city
of the music that gave it life. Put Another Quarter in the Ride and Wish I Was Here are
both fine songs worthy to be in the Scott Southworth Greatest Hits package and Nobody
Leaves this World Alive is another solid effort… but I just don’t find myself returning to
the other songs on this album with any gusto.
Cigar Store Indian is a solid song and always a popular one in Scott’s live shows but
somehow here it just seems a little flat. Noting Left To Fight For and Last Stop in
Luckenbach leave me wishing for something more than delivered and Why Can’t
Everyday Be Friday Night is not that inspiring.
In spite of this Hey Hillbilly Singer is a good album. It is just that when I hear the name
Scott Southworth, good just isn’t good enough.
Rating 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars