The Weight play the kind of country music I like listening to–Â the kind that pairs well with beer or bourbon, and follows in the footsteps of the 70s outlaws. The Weight take the traditional country twang and infuse it with some solid southern rock guitar licks. It has neither the pop sheen of current country, nor the self-seriousness of some alt. country. The songs are scuffed and Joseph Plunket’s voice is rough and a perfect fit for a lively night out at the bar or while out hauling ass down Highway 5. If that all sounds a little too Nashville for you, then you are missing the point.
Are Men kicks off with sad sack lost-love country rock on “Like Me Better” and then switches on the heat during “Had It Made”, lifting a Chuck Berry riff in the process. The songs rarely veer from the topics of girls they love and girls that have done them wrong, but the music keeps the mood upbeat. The sadness is drowned out by a rolling piano, a lonesome slide and some soaring fret work. This isn’t music for wallowing. The regular infusion of band singalongs, like on “Man Alone,” keeps the album boisterous. If you are in the mood for honky-tonk country rock, you could do a lot worse than putting on “Closer Than A Friend” and embracing the good times.
The Weight’s Are Men is available now on Tee Pee Records.
