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ZZ Top: Mescalero

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: RCA Records
Released: 2003.09.08
Time:
 61:27
Category: Blues Rock, Hard Rock
Producer(s): Billy Gibbons
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.zztop.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Mescalero (B.Gibbons) - 3:50
[2] Two Ways to Play (B.Gibbons) - 4:15
[3] Alley-Gator (B.Gibbons) - 3:29
[4] Buck Nekkid (B.Gibbons) - 3:02
[5] Goin' So Good (B.Gibbons) - 5:34
[6] Me So Stupid (B.Gibbons/J.Hardy/G.Moon) - 3:33
[7] Piece (B.Gibbons) - 4:19
[8] Punk Ass Boyfriend (B.Gibbons) - 3:05
[9] Stackin' Paper (B.Gibbons/J.Hardy) - 2:58
[10] What Would You Do? (B.Gibbons) - 3:03
[11] What It Is Kid (B.Gibbons/D.Hill/F.Beard) - 4:13
[12] Que Lastima (B.Gibbons) - 4:24
[13] Tramp (L.Fulson/J.McCracklin) - 5:12
[14] Crunchy (B.Gibbons) - 3:13
[15] Dusted (B.Gibbons) - 3:55
[16] Liquor (B.Gibbons) - 3:22

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Billy Gibbons - Guitar, Vocals, Producer
Dusty Hill - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocal on [7]
Frank Beard - Drums, Percussion

Marimbas De Chiapas - Marimba
Dan Dugmore - Pedal Steel Guitar
James Harman - Harmonica

Joe Hardy - Engineer, Mixing
Gary Moon - Mastering
Steve Ralbovsky - A&R
Ryk Maverick - Album Cover Design
Mike Waring - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded in 2002 at the Foam Box Recordings (Houston, Texas, United States).



Ever since ZZ Top signed with RCA, they fitfully tried to break free of the synthesized blues that once was their savior but quickly became a straitjacket. Like any addict, it was hard for them to quit that processed, sequenced sound cold turkey, so they weaned themselves off the robo-boogie, sometimes relapsing and adding too many synths to mix, other times breaking loose with some credible boogie. Apart from the dreadful misstep of 1999's XXX, they showed signs of life on all their RCA albums, and their fourth, 2003's long-delayed Mescalero, is no exception to the rule. Billy Gibbons' fat guitar tone really has some presence here, at least on some of the album, and there are enough rhythm tracks not performed to a didactic click track to provide some real swing. There are even moments that suggest Gibbons' songwriting chops might be returning, such as the closing "Liquor," the rampaging instrumental "Crunchy," and the lithe "What Would You Do." On these cuts, along with a cover of Lowell Fulson's "Tramp," ZZ Top sound like a worthy veteran act, returning to their strengths and building on them. Unfortunately, that's four songs on an overlong 17-track album (including an uncredited closing cover of "As Time Goes By," hidden after "Liquor" -- as most uncredited covers of "As Time Goes By" are, I suppose), and the rest of the record is pretty much devoted to by-the-books latter-day ZZ Top, relying too much on overly polished sound and familiar form, not gutbucket hooks and dirty grooves. What's frustrating is that those aforementioned cuts prove that the boys could still turn out a really cool, modernistic roadhouse blues-rock album, if only they had a good editor or producer. Left to their own devices, they repeat their same mistakes and wind up with a record that's pretty damn near the same as their other RCA platters.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide



Midway through their fourth decade, the "Little Ol' Band from Texas" has lost none of their preternatural affinity for the blues. But, as this album ably demonstrates, that love continues to be informed by a restless sonic creativity that keeps it remarkably fresh. Proving he remains a fan of pop music in all its myriad incarnations, the grease’n’grit production of band mainstay Billy Gibbons gives it all a surprisingly contemporary edge, be it the grunge-meets-techno rattle of "Me So Stupid," the emblematic Top boogie "Buck Nekkid," or zydeco-tinged lugubriousness of "Alley-Gator." But Gibbons and company's alternately lo-fi and electro sensibilities also takes intriguing detours down country roads on "Goin' So Good" and "What Would You Do," while the en espanol "Que Lastima" see them stray rewardingly across the Rio Grande for inspiration. The bluesy, hip-hop experimentalism of "Crunchy" and "Dusted" offer up more angular treats, morphing effortlessly into the patented, greasy boogie of "Liquor," then a country-blues cover/hidden track/coda of the chestnut "As Time Goes By," the warmest surprise of an album already blessed with more than its share.

Jerry McCulley - Amazon.com



Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on September 8, 2003, as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues rock, Mescalero explored genres like country and Tejano. Recording sessions took place at Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with the lead vocalist Billy Gibbons as producer.

Mescalero is centered around a variety of Tejano instrumentation including accordion, pedal steel guitar, and harmonica. The album often uses slide guitar and "fuzzy" bass guitar sounds. It opens with "Mescalero", a track with marimbas used throughout the entire song and a solo at the end. "Two Ways to Play" is a hard rock-inspired track in which Gibbons' guitar is tuned down a whole step from standard pitch. "Alley-Gator" made use of the accordion and a 1955 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop played by Gibbons. "Buck Nekkid" is a moderate swing, while "Goin' So Good" is a slow ballad on which Gibbons used a 1949 Fender Telecaster prototype and played Steve Cropper-tinged licks; he traded phrases in call and response form with a pedal steel guitar. "Me So Stupid" is a moderate rock with a clip of Gibbons' voice remaining constant throughout the track. Dusty Hill sang lead vocals on "Piece". Auto-Tune is used on Gibbons' vocals at several points on the album, most audibly on "What Would You Do", "Que Lastima" and "As Time Goes By".

The album depicts a skeleton wearing a sarape and a sombrero while drinking mescal in the desert. The skeleton appears to be shooting flames out of its mouth. The title, Mescalero, refers to a heavy mescal drinker.

In 2003, ZZ Top showcased two tracks from Mescalero in a performance at RodeoHouston in Texas. "Buck Nekkid" was used in a television commercial promoting the album.

Allmusic awarded the album two out of five stars, stating, "Apart from the dreadful misstep of 1999's XXX, they showed signs of life on all their RCA labeled albums, and their fourth, 2003's long delayed Mescalero, is no exception to the rule. Billy Gibbons' fat guitar tone really has some presence here, at least on some of the album, and there are enough rhythm tracks not performed to a didactic click track to provide some real swing."

The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard 200.

Wikipedia.org
 

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