The World Famous Ultimate Twang: Classic Album Review-Hank Williams Jr. "Strong Stuff"

Classic Album Review-Hank Williams Jr. “Strong Stuff”

He was one of the hottest acts in country music, in 1983, Hank Williams Jr. By that time, he was already an established star, having scored hits since the mid 1960’s, and by this time, had survived a near-fatal fall from a mountain, and had been able to escape his father’s shadow and establish his own musical identity.

The album “Strong Stuff” was the first of two albums Hank Jr. would release in 1983. It would peak at number seven on the country album charts and climb into the fifties on the pop album chart, plus it yielded two top ten hits, “Gonna Go Huntin’ Tonight” and “Leave Them Boys Alone”, the latter, a collaboration with Waylon Jennings and the legendary Ernest Tubb.

The album opens with a top five hit for Hank Jr., “Gonna Go Huntin’ Tonight”. A true country rocker, here, done as only Hank Jr. can do it. The song, itself, is a decent track, though I admit there are other songs of his that I like better. The thing about Hank Jr., during this time, is that his style of country-rock was nothing like anyone else was playing at the time; it really stood out on country radio overloaded with the pop sounding records of the time. He was finally making music his way, and it’s no coincidence that this was his most fruitful time as an artist.

Next up, Hank Jr. covers ZZ Top, with a version of “La Grange”. It’s actually a good cover version, of a classic rock record. It’s probably my favorite ZZ Top song, and Hank Jr.’s version is almost as good.

By the way, Hank Jr. could do straight ahead country, too, as he shows on “A Whole Lot Of Hank”. Great melody, but kind of odd lyrics, comparing Billy The Kid, Jesse James, Hank Sr., and himself. It works, sort of.

Next, it’s “Made In The Shade”, a song that injects a fair amount of blues in his country, is a song that I think is one of the standout tracks on the album. The great thing about Hank Williams Jr., is that he can successfully pull off so many styles of country, hard country, country-rock, country-blues, even bluegrass. And usually, you hear all on his albums, making them very interesting to listen to, at the least, and certainly a lot of fun.

My favorite track on the disc, and the reason I purchased the album, originally, as a sixteen year old, is “Leave Them Boys Alone”. Featuring guest vocals by Waylon Jennings and Ernest Tubb, it’s one of those songs that I thought was awesome the first time I heard it on the radio, and still love it, especially since as a youth, the two artists whose albums I had more of than anyone were Hank Jr. and ol’ E. T. By the way, this was Ernest Tubb’s last time in a studio before passing away of emphysema in 1984.

For those keeping score, we now turn to side two, which begins with “The Girl On The Front Row At Ft. Worth”. An alright song, but not anything special. Good melody, arrangement, and beat, average lyrics.

“The Homecoming Queen” is a good song. A tried and true formula in country music, of the woman who’s everything to her man, but done just a little bit differently than had been previously heard. I like this one.

“Blue Jean Blues” is more rock and especially blues, but again, shows Hank Jr.’s versatility. Hank Jr. is best singing country music, of course, but he’s also a good blues man, as well, as this song well illustrates. This is one of those songs where the lyrics really aren’t important, because it’s all about the music, and in that respect, this is as good of an example of country-rock-blues as you will find.

“Twodot, Montana” is back to the country style, a bit of a throwback to classic country, as it tells of a man who’s imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit, and tries to escape.

The album wraps with “In The Arms Of Cocaine”, which tells of a woman overcoming an addiction to the drug. An average song made better with a great country-blues arrangement, and a fine vocal performance by Hank Jr.

This album is still available on CD, and looks to be a very inexpensive buy. And if you prefer an original, it looks as though numerous used vinyl copies are available.

An album that I think gets overlooked when discussing Hank Williams Jr. It didn’t sell quite as well as some of his albums, though it did make gold status, but I think, overall, it’s a very good album, certainly better than some of the other albums that were on the market in 1983. I rate it a 4 out 5. What would you rank it?