Whatever your thoughts on Steve Earle relative to his music, collaborations, political views or acting skills, one thing can't be debated: He has an incredible ear for talent. Earle launched E Squared Records in 1996 with longtime pal Jack Emerson and the label acted like a label should, releasing new, exciting and important music. If not for Earle, who knows if The V-Roys, 6 String Drag and Bap Kennedy ever would have found a home. And these three, along with Cheri Knight and a few others, rounded out a label that discovered some of the best rock bands of the 90s.Like many of Earle's collaborations, E Squared was short lived and many blame Earle for the demise of a number of the bands on the label. But whatever the end result, the goods delivered while the label was active are remarkable. And the best of the lot just may be 6 String Drag's High Hat. It's rare that an album is great from top-to-bottom, especially one that goes generally unnoticed by the general public, but High Hat is just that: flawless. Mixing rockers such as "Ghost" and "Bottle of Blues" with down-tempo beauties such as "I Can't Remember," well, that's really the only ballad, it's almost unimaginable to consider that 6 String Drag called it quits after this gem.. Fronted by Kenny Roby (featured in an earler The Archives), the writing and storytelling are energized and simple. If you don't have the record, it'll be a tough find, but it's out there.
Bottle Of Blues - 6 String Drag
