Album Reviews

Dolly Shine

Walkabout

Artist:     Dolly Shine

Album:     Walkabout

Label:     Thirty Tigers

Release Date:     06/17/2016

78

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and apparently that includes grit and attitude. Dolly Shine makes a convincing case for that very premise, and on their new nine song EP Walkabout, they ratchet up their delivery to ensure no one will have any doubt as to where they stand. Rugged and restless, they convey a sense of solid insurgency, showing that they aren’t the type to take gruff from anyone at all. Combining country twang with drive and defiance, their super charged approach suggests the sound Lynyrd Skynyrd might make if they were fronted by Hank 3 and living somewhere between Austin and the Rio Grande. Even so, it is not all restive infusion. “Twist the Knife” is weary but resolute, “Old Flame” is more subdued and the high lonesome references in “Rattlesnake” suggests they stock more vulnerability than the band might want to let on. Likewise, the troubled narrative that accompanies “Snakeskin Boots” hints at even more of a sinister circumstance. Nevertheless, Walkabout rarely settles for restraint, and the edge and intensity that underscores these grooves makes it clear that when it comes to dire determination, Dolly Shine have a very short fuse.

– Lee Zimmerman

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