Reverend Horton Heat
We Three Kings

(Yep Roc)

First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2005, Volume 12, #11

Written by John Metzger

Rev. Horton Heat isn’t exactly known for his subtlety, and even though he turns his attention to holiday fare on his latest effort We Three Kings, he thankfully tosses tradition by the wayside, revs up his guitar, and transforms the typically conventional songs into blistering party anthems. Throughout the set, he slathers nearly all of the selections in the raucous, eggnog-drenched rowdiness that is inherent in his customarily frothy blend of punk and rockabilly, and the end result, not surprisingly, is remarkably effective. Indeed, the only missteps among the 13 tracks on the endeavor occur when Heat relies on his less-than-stellar vocals to carry the load on sluggish crawls through Silver Bells and Pretty Paper. The rest — be it the rambunctious, Ventures-infused romps through Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells; the hard-charging fury of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town; the Link Wray-meets-Booker T. bombast of the title track; or the stampeding country-tinged stomp of the lone original Santa on the Roof — is positively exhilarating, meaning that We Three Kings is guaranteed to put a vibrant, fun-filled jolt of high-spirited electricity into even the dullest holiday celebration. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box