Gene Butler Band – Born Inside A Hard Rock
Self-Release – 2023
12 tracks; 46 minutes
Born in Macon, GA, Gene Butler now calls Southern California home. He has released seven albums with his eponymous band, operating in a musical style he dubs “Concrete Americana”; the PR blurb that accompanied the review copy describes the band as “an Outlaw Country band”. There are hints of blues in some tunes, but the album is predominantly Country and Americana. Gene wrote all the songs himself and is on vocals, guitar and occasional harmonica, with Bill Angarola on guitar and B/V’s, Matt McFadden on bass and Alan ‘Shotgun’ Weissman on drums; Julie Janney, Nathalie Blossom and Gregory Gast supply additional backing vocals on a few songs. The album was recorded in L.A.
The title track opens the album and sets out Gene’s stall with jingling country licks from the two guitars and the rhythm section setting a fast pace behind Gene’s gruff vocals. “Everybody Gets The Blues Sometimes” is a toe-tapping tune with some blues content but “Fanny Have I Told You” is more in Americana style. “In The Morning Rain Or Shine” takes the tune from RJ’s “Love In Vain” for a quiet song in which Gene admits that he is not a man to tolerate “the narrow circle of a wedding band” and has to come and go as he wants. “Sweet Loretta” is a pure country tune with nice harmonies and “Going Where The Money Is” is more in garage rock style with a bit of “Louie Louie” apparent in the chorus. Gene adds some jazzy chords on the gentle “In For Stormy Weather” before we head back to the country on “Maybe Some Day” which has the moody feel of “Ghost Riders In The Sky”.
“I’ll Go Down In The Hole For You” is an expression of devotion with some tasty guitar and a bit more of a blues feel. The familiar Diddley beat permeates “Love’s The Real Thing” to get the body moving (and is the track with harmonica too) before the band hits a tougher vein as they rock out on the grungy “Stuck At The Bottom”, a track which has a very strange chorus: “My love is like the rain, stuck at the bottom of the ocean”. In contrast the acoustic guitar riff at the heart of “A Beggar For Your Love” makes for a quiet finish to the album.
There are several attractive tunes on this album and Gene writes lyrics that move away from the standard fare. However, there is little here to attract hardcore blues fans.
