Hank Williams Jr. went all the way there with this new track, and I’m here for it.
As he gears up to release his next album, Rich White Honky Blues, he’s already given us a taste of what’s to come with a few songs, including “Georgia Women,” “.44 Special Blues,” and “Jesus, Won’t You Come By Here.”
For this upcoming project, Bocephus is taking it back to his roots, as the 72-year-old grew up with a lot of influence from the blues genre, with most of that stemming from his father, Hank Sr.
A bluesman at heart, Hank Williams Sr. was taught to play guitar as a small child by a bluesman named Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne, and with producer Dan Auerbach at the helm, Hank Jr. will pay homage to his roots, recording classics from Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, R.L. Burnside, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, as well as a few from Hank himself.
And today, he dropped his take on R.L. Burnside’s “Fireman Ring The Bell.” It’s a high-tempo blues burner full of slide guitar, and coupled with those distinct Bocephus vocals, this is easily my favorite of the pre-released songs on the tracklist.
Hank Jr. said that, as they got further into this project and creating an album, he wanted to go even harder in the studio:
“You bring who you are. All that… all… of… that… is where my music comes from.
When we got into the studio, the more we played, the deeper we got – and the deeper we got, the harder I wanted to go.”
And I think that sentiment is more evident on this cover than any of the new tunes we’ve heard from the country legend thus far.
Rich White Honky Blues is slated to drop next Friday, June 17th.
“Fireman Ring The Bell”
“Georgia Women”
Rich White Honky Blues Tracklist:
1. .44 Special Blues
2. Georgia Women
3. My Starter Won’t Start
4. Take Out Some Insurance
5. Rich White Honky Blues
6. Short Haired Woman
7. Fireman Ring the Bell
8. Rock Me Baby
9. I Like It When It’s Stormy
10. Call Me Thunderhead
11. TV Mama
12. Jesus Will You Come By Here
