Hadacol Tremblers – Pills & Powder
For delivering sheer fun one would be hard pressed to cite many recent albums any more effective than this release, and it comes from an unusual source. Here you have a vintage-style Western Swing/string band…vocals, fiddle, acoustic guitar, banjo, mando, double bass and lap steel…from Belgium! In case you’re wondering, “Hadacol” was an actual highly spiked snake oil elixir from the bad ol’ days! The “Tremblers” part could easily be the delirium tremens brought on from its extended use!!
Leader Steve Hollanders says the idea was to recapture the sound of those early 30s and 40s purveyors of Western Swing. His four-man band accomplished it by retreating into their Antwerp studio and, after a span of two years, they’ve got a product indistinguishable from those of the period they sought to salute….including what could easily be contemporary references in their originals (title track “Pills & Powder,” for example).
Skillful covers of period favorites like “Take Me Back To Tulsa,” “Chinatown” and “Shine On Harvest Moon” should establish the idea for you if the sound doesn’t. Famed songs and lesser known works from Bob Wills, Milton Brown, the Farrs, Merle Travis and others get the right treatment from these dedicated European roots musicians. Twelve tracks, highly recommended.
CD (& a fun video): hadacoltremblers.com
– by Rick Huff
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Hadacol Tremblers – Pills & Powder
