(Equity Records) Loose, Loud & Crazy is Kevin Fowler's 4th studio release and it turns out to be his most traditionally Texas Dancehall-centric to date. Kevin made the transition from playing in metal (Dangerous Toys) and southern rock (Thunderfoot) bands to a solo country performer by combining drinking and redneck sing-a-long anthems along with heartache ballads, shuffles and two-steppers. With each subsequent release, Kevin veered deeper and deeper into a more traditional honky tonk sound. He's also honed his skills as a songwriter, writing songs that are clever, sharp and he often slips in sly, witty double innuendos. On Loose, Loud & Crazy, Kevin wrote or co-wrote 11 of the album's 12 songs.

Produced by Billy Walker Jr., Loose, Loud & Crazy rounds up some of the finest musicians to back Kevin that include Jason Roberts (fiddle), Bobby Flores (fiddle), Tommy Detamore (steel guitar), John Carroll (electric guitar), Greg Whitfield (acoustic guitar), Al Quaid (bass), Dan Dreeben (drums), John Michael Whitby (piano), Ponty Bone (accordion), Wes Hightower and John Wesley Ryles (background vocals), while Mark Chesnutt shows up for a duet.     

The album starts off immediately on the right foot with the honky tonk shufflin' title track, "Loose, Loud & Crazy." Co-written with Jamie Richards, this one's a declaration about needing to just cut loose after a long week in the rat race. Things move into a standout fast western swing number, "Get Along," a song with bitingly humorous lyrics about handing a lover who's outstayed her welcome her walking papers. In "Hard Man To Love," Kevin slows things down a bit with a shuffling mid-tempo ballad that reflects on his faults and his gratefulness for the woman willing to overlook them. The beat picks back up again in two-stepping fashion with a healthy dose of attitude in "Ain't Drinkin' Anymore," a song about a man not about to change his ways for anybody.

Mark Chesnutt duets with Kevin on "Political Incorrectness," a honky tonker that's a little reminiscent of "Beer, Bait & Ammo," and talks about being out of step with what society views as 'politically correct,' but are perfectly content being who they are. Kevin slows things down again with "Matter Of Time," a beautiful waltz that conveys a hopeful outlook that a bad luck streak will soon change. The honky tonker "Longneckin' (Makes For Short Memories)," has a slight Tex-Mex undertone in this tale of drinkin' away the memories of a lost love. "Triple Crown" is a standout Cajun two-stepper that puts to use some clever analogy in describing drinking away a losing streak. Some sharp, clever lyrics also fill another two-stepper, "Half," that tells the story of a woman getting her due through a divorce.

The pace slows again for "I'll Try Anything Twice" a ballad about being willing to give a lover another try, despite the pain from being hurt the first time around. Kevin offers a nice reprise of the shuffle, "Lord Loves The Drinkin' Man," (which he previously recorded on High On The Hog and Mark Chesnutt recorded on his latest album). Kevin closes out the album with a highlight that was recorded live at Coupland Dancehall. "Don't Touch My Willie" is a shuffle that provides some strong songwriting where Kevin delivers some very amusingly sly double innuendo to pay tribute to one of his musical heroes.

Over the course of his albums, Kevin's grown as both a songwriter and performer and he continues to move firmly towards the hard core country music he grew up listening to and loving. He's not afraid to tackle the topics that modern day Nashville has deemed taboo- drinkin', cheatin', lovin' and leavin'. Loose, Loud & Crazy is Kevin Fowler's strongest release to date, a real winner that should secure his spot among Texas' list of real deal country music performers and raise his profile, that will hopefully gain him national attention and further his ever-growing fanbase. 

Standout Tracks: "Loose, Loud & Crazy," "Get Along," "Hard Man To Love," "Ain't Drinkin' Anymore," "A Matter Of When," "Triple Crown," "Lord Loves The Drinkin' Man," "Don't Touch My Willie"

On The Net: www.kevinfowler.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack October 2004

Read TCB's previous Kevin Fowler reviews:

http://www.takecountryback.com/reviews/kfrev0402.htm

http://www.takecountryback.com/reviews/kfrev0702.htm