Another great review that rolled in from MoonRunners, the new site from Shooter Jennings, Outlaw Radio Chicago and quite a few others. Dive into some of their articles as they are adding another flavor of information to all that we know and dig.
"At first listen, I thought Hellbound Glory, one of my favorite bands,
had released a sub par album. Most of the songs off "Damaged Goods", I
have heard many times live throughout the past year, most notably on
the Rusty Knuckles stage Saturday night at Muddy Roots. Songs such as
"Bastard Child", and "You Better Hope you Die Young" were still fresh in
my head when I received the album from Leroy a few weeks back. But,
the rest of the tunes seemed a little slow and unexciting for me. Maybe
it was the more stripped down sound or more mellow overall tone, but, I
just didn't get it. But, I forced myself to keep listening knowing
that I could not just throw this one on the back burner.
And, low and behold, somewhere between the fourth and fifth listen,
the album clicked, and it hit me hard. Not only is this album not
subpar, it is far and above the best Hellbound Glory release to date,
and that is saying a lot, considering "Old Highs and New Lows" and
"Scumbag Country"are two of the finest releases in recent memory.
Fans who have caught on to the Hellbound buzz lately may be a bit
surprised that many of the drinking and druggin' songs that make up a
good portion of the first two albums are mostly absent from this one.
Instead, they are replaced by story-telling tales of friends dealing
with addictions ("Knocked off the Horse", "You Better Hope You Die
Young") and fun numbers about fighting with bouncers. ("Til the Lights
go Out").
Leroy Virgil, the voice and song writer of Hellbound, is in a league
of his own when it comes to telling stories. I challenge anyone out
there to find a country artist out there today (mainstream or
underground), that can even come close to what Leroy writes. Songs of
love, heartbreak and destruction are told like no one else can tell
them. For my money, "Bar Room Beauty" and "You Better Hope you Die
Young", are the two finest songs of 2011.
I think this is why I enjoy this album so much, because I can relate
to so many songs on this one. Whether it be "Lost Cause", which
explains to a woman why she is making a mistake for loving him, or, the
above mentioned "Til the Lights go Out", about running your mouth to a
much bigger, stronger bouncer with no fear. These are stories of
everyday life for some of us out there, and not many writers live the
life that we do. Leroy does and tells it like it is, and I applaud him
for that.
Out of the many great songs, only two, are songs that I am not
thrilled about, but are still catchy numbers. "She Left me in Modesto"
and "White Wolf" are still strong numbers, but just don't seem to fit
the theme of the album to me. But, I am sure Leroy was not going for a
theme to this album anyways.
Overall, anyone who enjoys "Old Highs and New Lows", and "Scumbag
Country", will find this one just as appealing. If you don't get it the
first time around, give it a few more listens and enjoy!
Expect further reviews from other authors on this site very soon!
4/4 stars!"
- Jashie P
Focus tracks: "Bar Room Beauty" and "Gonna be a Goner"
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| Hellbound Glory's, Damaged Goods, reviewed on Moon Runners |
