Search - Sixteen Horsepower :: 16 Horsepower

16 Horsepower's EP is filled with energy, fervor, & passion.

09/09/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"16 HP's EP debut is an earful of doomy, energetic music with religious wording on top. This threesome pulls off music that is worth most of its value in any alloy. The leader, David Eugene Edwards, plays a wide assortment of instruments: banjo, bandoneon, and plenty of slide guitar. It is his instrumentation backed by the awesome bass playing of Kevin Soll that gives this album its edge. The album moves through countrified slow grooves and ballads to hard-rocking hillbilly-esque goth. On the first song "Haw", Edwards plays a doomy slide guitar between seven minor chords. There is also the traditional bandoneon he plays for the waltzy "Straight-Mouth Stomp" which gives the song a Southern-Springtime feel. Basically, the songwriting mixed with the different instruments make the music side of this album very accessible and original. Edwards' lyrics encapsulates the rest of the 16HP experience. His lyrics stem from a Biblical point of view. And when Edwards is not damning man he is persuading man to repent and accept the Lord. On "Coal Black Horses" he sings "Hey hey hey it's always forever/ Hey hey hey it's never or now". It is the religious fervor and the grinding persuasion in Edwards' voice that brings the 16HP experience to full circle. 16HP's six song debut is a must-have for those who are craving for original, passionate music. Filled with different instrumentation, strong music, and Biblical lyrics, "16 Horsepower" is a refreshing taste in an industry now filled with mundane and uninteresting music."

Classic

Alicia | CA USA | 01/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This EP is definitely the most foot-stompin', hard driving of all the 16HP records, though Sackcloth 'n' Ashes comes close. For some reason, 16HP has never had the kind of success in the US that they've had abroad (they are THE most popular band in the Netherlands), probably because their music is hard to pigeonhole (goth psychobilly? thrashgrass?) and to market. They deserve to have a bigger audience, especially within the growing alt-country/americana scene. Buy two of this EP and give one to a friend, it's [inexpensive] and you'll both thank me.A note on the lyrics: there has been a lot of emphasis in American reviews on the religious content of their lyrics, which surprises me because they're no more religious than Johnny Cash or Nick Cave, and no one calls either of them a Christian rocker. If you are not a religious person (I'm not), don't worry that this album will sound "preachy". Their songs are rarely about God, they're about imperfect people wrestling with their demons, and sometimes losing. David Eugene Edwards was raised by a fire-and-brimstone preaching grandpa in Texas, ran away from home at 16, moved to the city and joined a punk band. I think that pretty much says it all."