Lee Rocker: Black Cat Bone

Lee Rocker
Black Cat Bone
Alligator
2007-08-14

Picking up exactly where he left off with the high quality of Racin’ The Devil, Lee Rocker brings this collection of songs together with a signature rockabilly feel. He slaps the hell out of that standup bass during the train-rolling “Gone”, and also during the fun-filled “String Bass, Guitar and a Drum”. However, the rather routine romp “Crazy When She Drinks” isn’t anything to salivate over while the cover of Dylan’s “One More Night” goes over far better than expected. Throughout it all, Rocker stays true to what got him and the other Stray Cats noticed in the first place — a deep devotion to old-time rockabilly. This is the case with the slow, creeping title track and the up-tempo verve seeping out of the Hank Williams tune “Lost Highway”. The tender moments are hit and miss affairs, especially when Rocker opts for the slow dance “What I Don’t Know”, which is basically ‘50s-era rock and roll. The highlight of the baker’s dozen is the rambling “The Wall of Death” while “The Highway is My Home” holds its own as well.

RATING 6 / 10