"If you like country that's grittier than what comes out of Nashville, you'll get a big kick out of singer and songwriter Kevin Fowler. He sings about hard work, hard drinking, and hard luck with women, and makes no apologies for being politically incorrect about everything else. The opening song, "Loose, Loud & Crazy," is a Friday night, tear-it-up anthem and sets the tone for the whole CD.
"Get Along" declares the end of a bad romance; then "Hard Man to Love" turns around and professes soulful gratitude for a long-suffering woman. A heart-on-the-sleeve tearjerker, "I'll Try Anything Twice," confesses a hopeless obsession for a long-gone sweetheart. There's also a series of drinking songs celebrating long necks and good times. And the two themes of love and drink converge in "Triple Crown" where it's belly up to the bar again for a broken heart.
The rough, good-ole-boy sensibility in these songs ends the CD with a sly crowd-pleaser, "Don't Touch My Willie," recorded live at Coupland Dancehall in Coupland, Texas. Its allusions to Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Jones show this singer squarely in the country tradition. If you like honky tonk, this is the real thing. (Also recommended: Ed Burleson, Aaron Watson, and Moot Davis.)
"
Honk Tonk Lives
Classic Country Fan | 11/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kevin never lets me down and his new cd Loose, Loud & Crazy is right on the money His song are stright to the point with no sappy, sweet or gooey lyrics. With this cd you get a good mix of Honky Tonkin, Drinking etc.
The tounge in cheek humor of "Don't Touch My Willie" (as in Willie Nelson) should make you grin. Other cuts that shine are his duet with Mark Chesnutt who lends his vocals to "Political Incorrectness" To bad Nashville is more intrested just selling hugh numbers with their cookie cutters. Instead of an artist of this calaber."
Honky Tonk Is Back !!!!!
John David Workman | New Martinsville, WV USA | 10/22/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album just by seeing the cover and the song titles...needless to say I have found the perfect honky tonk, country album. If you are thinking about buying this album, by all means do! This is a pure texas county/hard core honky tonk album. If you miss real country music, relax and listen to this!"
Good, old-fashioned Texas drinking music
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 12/31/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rough-edged and fully steeped in the independent spirit of Texas outlaw country, songwriter Kevin Fowler (whose "Beer, Bait & Ammo" has become a modern day comedic country anthem) makes the leap from microscopic Lone Star labels to a maverick would-be major. Kudos to Clint Black for signing Fowler up on his newly-launched Equity label, and for giving raw-boned, goofball novelty honkytonk a new place in today's super-sanitized Country charts... Having heard Fowler's last couple of albums, I was psyched and more than a little surprised to see him popping up on the Billboard Top 40... But imagine how much more surprised I was to get the album and hear that Fowler hadn't changed a thing about his sound... No slick keyboards or chessy power ballads here, just a fine, fun set of dopey drinking songs and love-a-loser lyrics. If anything, he might be trying a little too hard to be hard-country and "outlaw," but hey, I ain't complaining. I'm just glad to hear some real twang coming out of Nashville. If you like George Strait, Waylon Jennings or Ed Burleson, you're gonna love Kevin Fowler."