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Those Darlins | Self-titled

Oh Wow Dang (2009)

By ZETH LUNDY | July 15, 2009

3.0 Stars

If summer finally decides to arrive this year, it'll have a heckuva soundtrack waiting for it. The homonymous debut by the much-hyped Tennessee trio — self-christened Darlin sisters who do the whole rockabilly thang with wit and charm – is just what I'd expect to hear blaring from the open window of a car that cuts me off on Comm Ave on some disgustingly hot day. (The honky-tonk section of Comm Ave, of course.)

These gals get their sass from Wanda Jackson, their penchant for surnames from the Ramones, their covers from A.P. Carter and Uncle Dave Macon, and their hardnosed poetry from combining William Carlos Williams and Merle Haggard: "I got drunk and I ate a chicken/I ate a chicken I found in my kitchen/Not just the leg and not just the wing / I'd like to let you know that I ate the whole damn thing."

Their songs cover equally American concerns, such as gettin' crazy ("Wild One"), gettin' it on ("Red Light Love"), ekin' it out ("Snaggle Tooth Mama"), and warning those who want to hate on the moms ("Mama's Heart"). And if summer never arrives, Those Darlins should still be emanating from indoors, all hot and sing-a-long-like, where the sun is not required.

Topics: CD Reviews , The Ramones, Merle Haggard, Tennessee, More

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