(Back Forty Records) It seems that Raleigh, North Carolina has a seemingly endless wealth of top notch artists and bands that prefer their country music hard core and straight up. From the same area that has given us the Backsliders, the Two Dollar Pistols, Greg Hawk & the Tremblers, and Tift Merritt to name a few, look out again...here comes Hobart Willis and the Back Forty. These boys are hot, delivering a mix of Bakersfield honky tonk, barroom shuffles, Tex-Mex and a dash of rockabilly.

Full Amigo Flavor is their first full length album, after the release of last year's tease of an EP, Introducing... Hobart Willis possesses a knockout voice that's strong and clear, with a NC twang as opposed to a Bakersfield or Texas drawl. The Back Forty consists of David Quick on guitars and vocals, Tim Barnes on electric guitar and pedal steel, Peter Waggoner on bass and backing vocals, and John Flowers on drums. Guesting on the disc are Clay Buckner on fiddle, Pat McGraw on bass and backing vocals, Evans Nicholson on drums, percussion and backing vocals, Tony Norwood on piano and farfisa, Janet Place on backing vocals and Je Widenhouse on trumpet.

All the songs on Full Amigo are written or co-written by Hobart or various band members. The songs are about honky tonk nights, hard times, empty glasses, lost loves, truck drivers, two-timers, hitting the road to freedom, Mexican nights...the stuff timeless country songs are made of. 

Full Amigo Flavor opens with the twangy teles of the Bakersfield style honky tonker, "First Rose Of Spring," a tale of a WWII romance, with outstanding harmonies that give it a slightly different twist. Stories of two timing lovers make up the two stepper, "Tell Me Another One," and "Lonely Boy's Paradise" shifts back to the honky tonk Bakersfield sound about hitching a ride to freedom. One of the album's most outstanding and creative songs is "The Heat Or The Holy Ghost." It's essentially a story song, that opens with a military snare drum beginning the tale of a WWII soldier's story, and then kicks into a highly danceable two stepping melody, with the military snare beat remaining in the background throughout the song. Another outstanding cut is the poignant "Talk About True Love," a mid-tempo song that tells the story of a now elderly couple's memories of all their years together, and how the strength and depth of their love has kept them together for so many years.

From Bakersfield and the honky tonk hardwood floors, Hobart and the boys take us on a four song trip south of the border, that's every bit as authentic and well done as anything out of San Antonio or Austin. Though the subject matter is a lost love, "No Room To Cry" with it's ringing Spanish guitar, has an infectious and upbeat melody that won't leave much room left on the dance floor. "Perfect" is a title that best describes this utterly gorgeous song. It's the album's only real ballad, but oh what a ballad it is, and things don't get more romantic than this. It's also the song that really showcases the strength and outstanding ability of Hobart's voice to the max. With it's high lonesome guitar-steel melody, Hobart alternates the lyrics between English and Spanish, and this North Carolina boy really shines on the Spanish lyrics as one heck of a romantic crooner, guaranteed to sweep any woman off her feet. "Lavender Conquistador" is an instrumental done in a Mariachi style that brings on visions of fiestas. The breezy, up-tempo "Breakfast At Juanita's" has a bit of a Buddy Holly groove to it.

After this side tripping mini-set of Tex-Mex, Hobart drops us back onto to the hardcore honky tonk dance floors with "Don't Hold Me Up," where he warns not to take too close a look, as things aren't quite the way they look. "The Walking Kentuckian" has a fun and funky syncopated beat in this tale of kissing off a two timing lover. He then swings back over to a bit of Tex-Mex with "King Of Broken Promises," and the farfisa can't help but conjure up the sound and vision of Auggie Meyers, and Doug Sahm's Tex-Mex drenched brand of honky tonk. The disc closes with another instrumental, the blistering "Back Forty Boogie." This one has some scorching, red hot guitar licks and the song tosses in everything but the kitchen sink, from Stevie Ray Vaughan, to the Ventures, rockabilly to swing and everything in-between.

Hobart Willis and the Back Forty might be from North Carolina, but put them up against any band from Texas and you'll be hard pressed to tell which is which. These boys are hardcore country, and they play their country hard, and I'd venture to say the best band to come out of Raleigh, NC yet. The promise that they teased us with on their EP Introducing... has come to full fruitation with Full Amigo Flavor, and they're one band well on their way.

www.fullamigoflavor.com