Ray Wylie Hubbard is still pumping out the gritty back alley jams at nearly 80-years-old.
His latest album, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, is meant to be played loud. Real loud.
It’s not just lean and mean, but snarly and downright punchy; Texas garage rock in the proud tradition of the 13th Floor Elevators, Mouse and the Traps, and the True Believers.
Over the course of his long and storied career, Hubbard has written tons of richly poetic numbers, with stone cold stunners like “The Messenger,” “Ballad of the Crimson Kings,” “Dust of the Chase,” “Stone Blind Horses,” and everybody’s favorite, “Snake Farm.”
Out August 21, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real marks Hubbard’s return to his homegrown Bordello Records (with distribution by Soundly Music/Thirty Tigers) after a two-album major-label joyride on Nashville’s Big Machine Records. “They treated me great, and did everything they could,” he says, “but it was kind of limited because I’m an old guy. I’m no longer a country hunk, you know?”
His lead single, “Cassette Mix Tape,” details a night of lustful misadventure in dad’s stolen car set to a soundtrack of Golden Earring, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones and Bob Seger, with a surrealist animated music video to match. “I drove that Chevy Vega like it was a Pontiac Grand Prix,” Hubbard sings.
“You know, a lot of artists when they put out a record, they go, ‘This is the best record I’ve done up to this point,’” Hubbard states, regarding what will be his 20th album in a recording career stretching back to the mid-70s. “But I’m not going to say this is the best record I’ve done. I’ll say it’s the best record I’ve ever heard.”
I guess we will all find out for ourselves August 21st. Mark those calendars, folks.
