| High Hat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Room & Board | |||
| Label | E-Squared [1] | |||
| Producer | the twangtrust | |||
| 6 String Drag chronology | ||||
| ||||
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]
The band broke up the next year, before reuniting in the 2010s. [5]
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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The Baltimore Sun |  [11] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [15] |
| St. Paul Pioneer Press | [16] |
| The State | [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]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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'" |
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