''High Hat'' is the second album by the American band

6 String Drag 6 String Drag is an American alt country band from Clemson, South Carolina. 6 String Drag was founded by Kenny Roby after leaving punk rock band The Lubricators in 1992. He initially founded a country cover band, the Welfare Liners, with Rob K ...

, released in 1997. The album cover was created by drummer Ray Duffey. The band broke up the next year, before reuniting in the 2010s.

Production

Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

and

Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy played as a forward for Arsenal, and then played as a l ...

, under their twangtrust production name. The band spent five weeks in the studio, over two sessions in late 1996 and early 1997. The songs were written or cowritten by frontman

Kenny Roby Kenny Roby is a North Carolina-based singer-songwriter. He's the former lead singer of 6 String Drag, which he formed with old friend bassist Rob Keller in the early 1990s and became one of the main bands of the era's so called Americana movem ...

. "Over & Over" incorporates elements of

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

music. "Ghost" was recorded live, in one take. Earle guested on "I Can't Remember".

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...

'' determined that "the tunes are catchy and the execution is succinct, and while singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Kenny Roby has yet to develop a distinct musical personality, he’s got the raw material to do so: his nasal croon carries him from fragile ballads into full-tilt rockers and his hooks sink in." The ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focus ...

'' concluded: "Like the Bottle Rockets, 6 String Drag plays country-tinged rock not only for the meaning but for the fun of it. In a Son Volt world, that’s a big deal; better to err on the side of the lightweight, as ''High Hat'' occasionally does, than to romanticize 12-pack-sodden gloom." The ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' labeled "Elaine" "a pretty pop tune vaguely reminiscent of both Roy Orbison and the Everlys." ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review'' ...

'' stated that "6 String Drag fits into the alt-rock category but moves away from boring melodies, cryptic lyrics. and half-dead vocals to fuse a rootsrock/country fest of infectious hooks and literate writing that is not just winning but inspiring." ''

The State A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...

'' deemed it "a gritty, rough-around-the-edges record that crackles with instrumental spontaneity and hearty singing." The '' St. Paul Pioneer Press'' praised the "endearing Junior Brown-goofiness."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

wrote that "6 String Drag expands their sound to include the influences of Dixieland and Stax/Volt-era soul; combined with their already impressive grasp of country and rock, ''High Hat'' is an exciting crazy-quilt of styles." Reviewing the 2018 reissue, ''

Goldmine Goldmine may refer to: * A location where gold mining takes place * ''Goldmine'' (magazine), a music collectibles magazine * ''Goldmine'', a 2007 album by Silvía Night * ''Goldmine'' (Gabby Barrett album), 2020 * ''Goldmine'' (Silvía Night a ...

'' called ''High Hat'' "one of alt-country’s cornerstone albums."

Track listing

References

{{authority control 6 String Drag albums 1997 albums Albums produced by Steve Earle