JACKYL frontman
Jesse James Dupree has completed work on his second solo album,
"Rev It Up And Go-Go". The CD is described as "a 15-track-collection ranging from the raunch 'n' roll of first single,
"Rev It Up and Go-Go" to the in-your-face, gritty, nasty modern rock of the melodic
"Drop Dead Ready".
Dupree namechecks everyone from
Ernest Tubb to
KISS to the
Grand Ol' Opry, while not shying away from more poignant songs like
"1095 Days". From the party to personal,
Dupree leaves no stone unturned.
Like
Dupree himself,
"Rev It Up And Go-Go" ranges from one extreme to the other. Emphasis on extreme. "The first half of the record is intense, crunchy rock like you'd expect," says the always-fired-up
Dupree. "Then the back half is a retro radio show, shit-kicking country that sounds like an old-time radio show." Sort of like
"Prairie Home Companion" from hell, fueled by alcohol and innuendo. "It's me along with a hodgepodge of kick-ass players and friends from the Southeast, which is why it's
JESSE JAMES DUPREE AND DIXIE INC.," explains the front man.
"Rev It Up And Go-Go" features
Richard and
Fred Young from the
KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS; drummer
Mike Froedge from
DOUBLEDRIVE;
Charlie Starr from
BLACKBERRY SMOKE; and
JACKYL bassist and longtime collaborator
Roman Glick. (As
Dupree quips, "
Roman is the
Dennis Hopper in my life's movie of
'Easy Rider'.")
"Rev It Up And Go-Go" has an in-your-face immediacy. From the mid-tempo intensity of
"Bite" to the scratchy, down-home feel of country-leaning tunes like
'The Party" to the perfect summer, on-the-highway rock gem that is
"Rev It Up and Go-Go" (which serves up a greasy, crunchy banjo that sounds like it was dipped in 50-weight motor oil and Jew's Harp to boot)
"Rev It Up And Go-Go", quite simply, rocks.
"Rev…" started as a 2007 Thanksgiving jam, and spontaneously combusted into a full-blown several-day session. Laughs
Dupree: "It manifested itself out of a couple mics and 2-inch tape machine and a bottle of liquor and some Crunk Energy Drink. It got good and messy." As for the album's diversity,
Dupree is proud: "These days, boundaries aren't defined in America. After a 40-plus hour week, when it's time for people to kick it out, they want to do it loud, proud hard and honest. And they can do it just as intensely with
"Rev It Up". To capture the appropriate vibe, the
"Sunday Morning" (country side) tracks were recorded live. In a saloon. In
Dupree's home. (Of course, a man who brews and sells his own
Jesse James "Americas Outlaw Beer" needs a personal saloon!) "
Roman and I ride motorcycles 20,0000 miles a year, from tour to tour" adds
Dupree, "so I wrote a song called
'Money, Lovin' and Speed' for the late, great master motorcycle builder
Indian Larry."
"Rev It Up And Go-Go" is at once pure
Jesse James Dupree, but also a bit of a departure, musically mixing both sides of his combustible character. "Hell, I grew up sitting on my dad's lap watching
'Hee Haw' and stealing sips of his Pabst Blue Ribbon.
'Rev It Up And Go-Go' is a bit of an anomaly." Yet throughout the 15 cuts are
Dupree's signature powerhouse vocals, his gravelly tinge as suited to metal or country — and everything in between. With
Dupree's irrepressible personality and thanks to the good ol' boys of
DIXIE INC. — especially
JACKYL's own
Roman Glick (also an alum of
BROTHER CANE, and
SLAVE TO THE SYSTEM with members of
QUEENSRŸCHE) —
"Rev It Up And Go-Go" is a cohesive, wild journey, at once as reverent and irreverent as its creator.
For more information, including audio samples, go to
this location.
