High Hat (6 String Drag album)

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High Hat
High Hat (6 String Drag album).jpg
Studio album by
6 String Drag
Released1997
StudioRoom & Board
Label E-Squared [1]
Producer the twangtrust
6 String Drag chronology
6 String Drag
(1994)		High Hat
(1997)		The JAG Sessions – Rare & Unreleased 1996-1998
(2014)

High Hat is the second album by the American band 6 String Drag, released in 1997. [2] [3] The album cover was created by drummer Ray Duffey. [4]

Contents

The band broke up the next year, before reuniting in the 2010s. [5]

Production

Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy, under their twangtrust production name. [6] [7] [8] The band spent five weeks in the studio, over two sessions in late 1996 and early 1997. [9]

The songs were written or cowritten by frontman Kenny Roby. [10] "Over & Over" incorporates elements of Dixieland music. [11] "Ghost" was recorded live, in one take. [9] Earle guested on "I Can't Remember". [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Baltimore Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Orlando Sentinel Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
St. Paul Pioneer Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [16]
The State Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]

The Chicago Reader determined that "the tunes are catchy and the execution is succinct, and while singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Kenny Roby has yet to develop a distinct musical personality, he’s got the raw material to do so: his nasal croon carries him from fragile ballads into full-tilt rockers and his hooks sink in." [18] The Washington City Paper concluded: "Like the Bottle Rockets, 6 String Drag plays country-tinged rock not only for the meaning but for the fun of it. In a Son Volt world, that’s a big deal; better to err on the side of the lightweight, as High Hat occasionally does, than to romanticize 12-pack-sodden gloom." [19]

The Orlando Sentinel labeled "Elaine" "a pretty pop tune vaguely reminiscent of both Roy Orbison and the Everlys." [15] Stereo Review stated that "6 String Drag fits into the alt-rock category but moves away from boring melodies, cryptic lyrics. and half-dead vocals to fuse a rootsrock/country fest of infectious hooks and literate writing that is not just winning but inspiring." [20] The State deemed it "a gritty, rough-around-the-edges record that crackles with instrumental spontaneity and hearty singing." [17] The St. Paul Pioneer Press praised the "endearing Junior Brown-goofiness." [16]

AllMusic wrote that "6 String Drag expands their sound to include the influences of Dixieland and Stax/Volt-era soul; combined with their already impressive grasp of country and rock, High Hat is an exciting crazy-quilt of styles." [13] Reviewing the 2018 reissue, Goldmine called High Hat "one of alt-country’s cornerstone albums." [21]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Bottle of Blues" 
2."Elaine" 
3."Gasoline Maybelline" 
4."Guilty" 
5."Red" 
6."Driven Man" 
7."From Me to Clayton" 
8."Cold Steel Brace" 
9."85 on 85" 
10."Ghost" 
11."I Can't Remember" 
12."Over & Over" 
13."Top of the Mountain" 
14."Keep on Pushin'" 

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Richard (November 1997). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 51. pp. 51–52.
  2. ↑ "6 String Drag Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Riemenschneider, Chris (January 22, 1998). "A tale of two bands (and one city)". Austin American-Statesman. p. 12.
  4. ↑ Schulman, Sandra (September 2, 1997). "Americana". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3E.
  5. ↑ Seely, Mike (March 21, 2018). "6 String Drag's Kenny Roby on Alt-Country Band's Reunion, Working with Steve Earle". Rolling Stone.
  6. ↑ Verna, Paul (January 10, 1998). "High Hat". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 2. p. 69.
  7. ↑ Allen, Jim (March 28, 2018). "6 String Drag Gives Alt-Country a New Spin on Top of the World". Indy Week.
  8. ↑ "6 String Drag – Carolina, In The Pines". No Depression. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Credle, Melanie (August 29, 1997). "6 String Breaks – Look what that cat Steve Earle dragged in...". Preview. The Herald-Sun. p. 12.
  10. ↑ Bernhardt, Jack (August 29, 1997). "Raleigh's 6 String Drag offers just enough twang with their lyrical rock to qualify as alternative country...". What's Up. The News & Observer. p. 12.
  11. 1 2 "6 String Drag High Hat". Features. The Baltimore Sun. April 9, 1998. p. 10.
  12. ↑ Franco, Jose (September 5, 1997). "6 String Drag's indescribable sound". Herald-Journal. p. D9.
  13. 1 2 "High Hat". AllMusic.
  14. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 1023–1024.
  15. 1 2 Gettelman, Parry (October 17, 1997). "Roots-Rock – Musical Antidote to Grunge". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 8.
  16. 1 2 Walsh, Jim (September 12, 1997). "Go Ahead ... Become a New Member of the Alt.Country Club". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1E.
  17. 1 2 Miller, Michael (September 5, 1997). "Clemson Connections". Weekend. The State. p. 12.
  18. ↑ Margasak, Peter (February 12, 1998). "6 String Drag". Chicago Reader.
  19. ↑ Wright, Rickey (November 7, 1997). "High Hat". Washington City Paper.
  20. ↑ Nash, Alanna (December 1997). "High Hat". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 12. p. 122.
  21. ↑ Thompson, Dave. "Reviews: Six String Drag". Goldmine.
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