The first thing that will strike you when you pick this CD up is that the cover photo of our man appears to have been taken during Reagan’s first White House term. Maybe that’s because musically, Buster Brotherhood is what we’ve come to expect from Johnny J over the years—a confident, straight-forward, stripped-down (just guitar, drums and string bass) blend of original raw rockabilly, country swing and laments.
Most of these songs are witty and often humorous, but occasionally they border on sheer insanity. Highlights here include the raucous opener “I’m an Inmate in the Prison of your Heart,” an otherwise common relationship analogy, but it’s driven by a catchy guitar ride and an inventive arrangement. “Don’t Want To Work No More” has become J’s life style motto over the years and many will recall this rocker originally appeared on the Hitmen’s initial classic LP Nuclear Hayride. The clever “No More Songs About Sally” chugs along energetically and was inspired by an incident involving Sally and J’s Pally.
The country driven “Pinewood Coffin” has a George Jones flavor while “She’s A Real Automobile” has a catchy mid-tempo rockabilly groove, but again lyrically the theme is a common one. On the bizarre side, the lyrics for “Chuck Don’t Kill That Armadillo,” makes one wonder if J wrote this during his most recent visit to the county asylum. The same could be said for “Everything’s Gotta Eat,” which describes trash can scavengers. All-and-all though, there’s of lots energy and often some very inventive material here.
If you like to rock a little bit, and you like your music uncluttered, this might be up your alley.
