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Shootin' Straight

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Shootin' Straight
Live album by
Released1994
VenueMcCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, California
LabelOn the Spot[1]
ProducerJoel Moss
Dan Hicks chronology
It Happened One Bite
(1978)
Shootin' Straight
(1994)
Return to Hicksville
(1997)

Shootin' Straight is a live album by the American musician Dan Hicks, released in 1994.[2][3] Hicks was backed by the Acoustic Warriors.[4] It was Hicks's first major album since 1978.[5]

Production

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Produced by Joel Moss, the album was recorded over two nights at McCabe's Guitar Shop, in Santa Monica, California.[6][7][8] Hicks had been playing McCabe's for more than 12 years.[9] Shootin' Straight is made up of previously unrecorded songs.[7]

Bette Midler and Asleep at the Wheel had covered Hicks's "Up! Up! Up!"[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[12]
The Commercial Appeal[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
The Indianapolis Star[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[16]

The Washington Post wrote that the album "proves that his off-beat sense of humor and his dead-on sense of swing are intact... Hicks sings about barflies, bank robbers and flying-saucer pilots in a small, dry voice that drifts easily over the crisp swing below."[5] The Knoxville News Sentinel noted that "Hicks sounds charmingly confused in his stage patter."[17]

The Indianapolis Star called the album full of "quirky humor and acoustic tunes that draw on influences ranging from jazz accordion to Texas swing slide guitar."[15] The Los Angeles Times thought that "the zesty interplay of guitars, fiddles and mandolins looks back to Django Reinhardt."[18] The Commercial Appeal stated: "Instrumentally, this is a group to reckon with, as Paul Robinson's lightning lead acoustic guitar intertwines with Stevie Blacke's mandolin and Jim Boggio provides atmospheric accordion."[13] Elijah Wald, of The Boston Globe, listed it as one of 1994's best albums.[19]

AllMusic wrote that "the material owes a lot to pre-bebop jazz, but it also owes a lot to country, rock, folk, and blues."[11]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dan Hicks

No.TitleLength
1."Up! Up! Up!"4:01
2."Shootin' Straight"5:07
3."Hell, I'd Go!"2:26
4."Bottoms Up!"3:57
5."Texas Kinda Attitude"3:29
6."Willie"4:15
7."Savin' My Lovin'"4:56
8."13-D"3:37
9."Barstool Boogie"3:30
10."A Magician"3:32
11."Who Are You?"4:07
12."Level with Me Laurie"4:05
13."The Rounder"3:49
14."$100,000"3:13

References

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  1. ^ Krampert, Peter (March 23, 2016). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Dan Hicks Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  3. ^ "11 tracks of Whack by Walter Becker / Shootin' Straight by Dan Hicks". Playboy. Vol. 42, no. 3. Mar 1995. p. 24.
  4. ^ Mabe, Chauncey (17 Sep 1994). "Dan Hicks: Shootin' Straight". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3D.
  5. ^ a b "Hicks Minus Licks Still Kicks". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  6. ^ Nichols, Jim (6 Sep 1995). "Hicks Prefers to Perform". Downtowner. Dayton Daily News. p. 6.
  7. ^ a b Hill, Jack W. (February 3, 1995). "Flanked by Warriors, Hicks Makes Way Back to Native LR". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. p. 20.
  8. ^ Kening, Dan (16 Dec 1994). "Singer-Songwriter Dan Hicks Proves He Still Has the Hot Hand". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. P.
  9. ^ Carroll, Tomm (October 28, 1994). "McCabe's strums along". Daily Breeze. p. K29.
  10. ^ Gilbert, Calvin (4 Sep 1995). "Acoustic Warrior". Nashville Banner. p. C1.
  11. ^ a b "Shootin' Straight". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  12. ^ "Dan Hicks". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  13. ^ a b Nager, Larry (July 30, 1994). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. C5.
  14. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 276.
  15. ^ a b Schoch, Eric (29 Aug 1994). "Dan Hicks 'Shootin' Straight'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C5.
  16. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 547.
  17. ^ Bledsoe, Wayne (7 Aug 1994). "Hicks is still shooting; Waters is fresh after 30 years". Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 2.
  18. ^ Boehm, Mike (14 Jan 1995). "Dan Hicks Keeps Ticking: The Wry Leader of the '60s-Era Hot Licks Faced Some Cold Shoulders". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
  19. ^ "Top Ten Recordings 1994". Calendar. The Boston Globe. 22 Dec 1994. p. 18.