DEAD BRONCO - BEDRIDDEN & HELLBOUND

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1. Florida Grown   2. Drinking Alone   3. Make My Eyes Bleed   4. Thy Mother's Ways   5. Bedridden & Hellbound   6. My True Love   7. Keg Stand   8. Devil Woman   9. Mudd The Demon   10. Mama Tried   11. Stop Killing All My Friends   12. Rambling On My Mind

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Damn it! One of the best Country bands we can get to listen to nowadays is from the Basque Country, Spain, and not from the USA! Funny as it may seem, it's absolutely true and Dead Bronco is the name of the band. They are the real thing, not that sweetened wannabe Country that some big multinational labels want to sell us (Pop at its worst). What these guys play is good, old Country with a good deal of Rock'n'Roll and tons of attitude. Broncobilly is the name that they use to explain their style... and it seems quite clear and a good one to me.

But lets go ahead writting something about this "Bedridden & Hellbound" that brings, as said before, lots of Country and some Rock'n'Roll... and when I write Rock'n'Roll, this time I mean from Rockabilly to Southern Rock and beyond. For the Country end, we can use the terrific "Drinking Alone" as an example, while from the opposite side, that kind of even Hard Rock edge but without loosing the Country feeling, we can take "Stop Killing All My Friends". Yes, sure Country purists may say it goes too Rockabilly at a moment and too Hard Rock at another, but that's the Broncobilly style above-mentioned and maybe that's the charm of Dead Bronco. And all that mix of styles, all those rhythms, come from five more than accomplished musicians. It's no strange at all that this band is being called from almost everywhere around Europe and even the USA for live shows.

Regarding band members, the Hillbilly touch comes from Matt Horan's voice (he also plays rhythm guitar), and Dani Merino's lap steel, while the Rock'n'Roll, even Rockabilly, feeling is provided by Manu Heredia on lead guitar and Oscar Calleja on slapbass, with Danel Marin giving a steady beat from behind the drumset. Very good musicians all of them by their own and great together as a band.

Eleven of the songs included are penned by the band, with Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" as the only cover. I like that preference for their own compositions and I understand it's not easy in a world, the one of Country music, where it's so easy to find a good song to cover.

A good record, yes sir, in which I have some favourite songs to be highlighted, of course from my preferences and point of view, being so "Drinking Alone" in first place, with "My True Love" close behind and also "Rambling On My Mind", all three in the most Country part of the record.

By the way, the title ("Bedridden & Hellbound"), added up to the yellowish eyed beasts on the cover plus skulls, might scare the faint-hearted...

Then, I'll say it once again: a good record from a very good band. Probably the best record in the history of Dead Bronco for the time being. Recommended.