Search - Dash Rip Rock :: Sonic Boom

Country, Rock, and "Other"-- One of their BEST!

Henry R. Kujawa | "The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ) | 02/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the proud owner of EVERY DRR album (including a few not listed at Amazon at all-- THANKS, Chris!!!) I got this as soon as it came out. While someone I know lamented the loss of Hoakey Hickle, I see no drop in quality. Bill Davis continues his band's traditional mix of rock, country & novelty songs. (I LOVE variety!!!)



While I liked SONIC BOOM from the first, something funny has been happening as time goes by. The album just KEEPS growing on me. In the last 6 months, I've been palying this MORE than ALL the other DRR albums put together! There's songs I like on just about every album they've done-- but it's getting to the point where I find myself loving ALMOST every song here! Wow!



"Eventually Evangeline" starts things off nice, but "South of My Heart" may be the BEST country song Bill Davis has ever sung! (I recently put together a custom comp of my favorite country songs, and included "Half Kansas Moon". Now I know what'll be going on the follow-up.) I love how they have faster songs alternating with slower ones. "Dream Together" is just beautiful. I never even noticed it the first dozen or so times I played this, but now it sends me into a state of bliss.



My first real fave was "High Speed Chase"-- which is very mid-tempo (but no less POWERFUL) given its title. This is another example of how pop music can be educational: I never heard of the Natches Trace Bridge, but recently I heard it mentioned on a tv documentary, and I immediately thought of this song and had to put it on!



Not sure if we needed another version of "Please Don't Hold My Hand", but this one seems to have it over the one on PAYDIRT (another favorite DRR album of mine-- but then, that was the 1st I ever bought). "Silver Moonlit Rail"-- proof that "fast" doesn't have to mean "noisy". WHOA!



My 2nd favorite here is "Snows In Mississippi". LOUD! DRIVING!! HYPNOTIC!!! I'm not really sure WHAT the song is about-- I'm almost afraid to find out-- but I dig it, in the EXTREME. (Hey, it snowed here today-- I HAD to put it on again...)



"Guru" may be my least favorite on the album, while "Opeloussas Sustain" is probably the most "ethnic" (in a new Orleans kinda way). "Monkeys" is definitely one of my 3 favorites on the disc. It's IDIOTIC-- but few people do "idiotic" better than Bill Davis. ("I went to the zoo just the other day, I had seven hits of acid I was ON MY WAY!") The album ends with a Beatles cover-- has anyone ever done "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" other than them? Someone said the only way to do a cover is to "make it your own". DRR definitely succeeded on that score.



I think I could easily reccomend this album to people who like rock or country-- and maybe a lot of other genres, if they're open-minded enough. I've been wanting to send a "best of" DRR disc to someone I know who's never heard them. I just may send this one instead!"

Dash redeems themselves..& prepares for the future

Mark Bychowski | houston tx | 02/28/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"first off, the new dash cd SOUNDS great: light years better than the overslicked abomination-fred "WHOOAAAAA!!" leblanc inflicted "paydirt". i compare this record to "get you some of me" in that it feels like a transitional record. kinda like a clearing house for songs that haven't made it to cd yet. as a fan of dash's country side, i like hearing at least half the record as more straightforward good countryesque pop. eventually evangeline, please dont hold my hand, & deep in the south are all great songs. the rockin party side of dash is well represented with high speed chase & i don't want to spoil the party, and kyle finally gets the plane song imortalized. the "funny" songs (guru, monkeys) are not all that funny, a couple country songs are just okay, and dream together is altogether bad. all said, another good cd from dash, but still waiting a cd that truly captures all the essence from this incredible band."