Alabama 3 – ‘Hits and Exit Wounds’ (album review)
It’s very hard to discern whether or not Alabama 3 are, intentionally or otherwise, a novelty act. While their music is never laugh out loud funny, it’s certainly tongue in cheek, and with names like Reverend D. Wayne Love and Sir Eddie Real it’s hard to take them completely seriously. However there’s certainly something which sets them apart from intentionally amusing acts like Flight of the Conchords, Tenacious D or Weird Al. “Woke Up This Morning”, for example, is dark and gritty, evocative of precisely the seedy underworld of crime it is used to portray in the opening sequence of The Sopranos. However, while the Reverend is capable of being lyrically sincere, tracks like “Hello… I’m Johnny Cash” and “U Don’t Danse to Tekno Anymore” show the band’s other, less solemn side.
It’s on songs like “Mao Tse Tung Said” that things get confusing. Admittedly I’m not that familiar with A3’s oeuvre, so perhaps I just don’t ‘get it’, but it wasn’t clear whether the inclusion of sound bites from cult leader Jim Jones and lyrics espousing violent revolution were supposed to be funny or deadly serious. I’m not sure it achieves either, and ends up just being unnerving, in an uncomfortable rather than enlightening way.
This compilation is probably perfect for established fans. However, the uninitiated should beware; the juxtaposition of amusing and (apparently) humourless tracks can be puzzling, and not entirely effective. Also, at well over an hour long, the album begins to drag near the end. Fun, and definitely worth a listen, just don’t use the Sopranos theme as an indication of what you’re letting yourself in for.
By Steven Garrard
Release Date: 21/4/08
Label: One Little Indian
www.alabama3.co.uk
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Bookmark and share this page with:It’s on songs like “Mao Tse Tung Said” that things get confusing. Admittedly I’m not that familiar with A3’s oeuvre, so perhaps I just don’t ‘get it’, but it wasn’t clear whether the inclusion of sound bites from cult leader Jim Jones and lyrics espousing violent revolution were supposed to be funny or deadly serious. I’m not sure it achieves either, and ends up just being unnerving, in an uncomfortable rather than enlightening way.
This compilation is probably perfect for established fans. However, the uninitiated should beware; the juxtaposition of amusing and (apparently) humourless tracks can be puzzling, and not entirely effective. Also, at well over an hour long, the album begins to drag near the end. Fun, and definitely worth a listen, just don’t use the Sopranos theme as an indication of what you’re letting yourself in for.
By Steven Garrard
Release Date: 21/4/08
Label: One Little Indian
www.alabama3.co.uk
Click here to read more Alabama 3 related news, reviews & interviews!
Buy Alabama 3 CDs & Vinyl
Buy Alabama 3 MP3s
Buy Alabama 3 Tickets
Buy Alabama 3 Merch
