Double Red Vinyl LP Pressing

Hank III’s third studio album, largely self-produced at a band member’s home, focuses on drug use, hedonism and the outlaw life, as well as criticism of the mainstream country music industry. These songs make up the first disc, while the second one consists of a sound collage of psychedelic music. Straight To Hell begins with “Satan Is Real,” which is interrupted by a burst of demonic laughter and then segues into the title tune, a testimony to a life of cheap thrills and dangerous living that sounds like a classic string band rounding the corners at 90-miles-an-hour with empty bottles of bourbon propping open the windows. A similar mix of old-school country and chemically fueled rebellion run through songs like “Pills I Took” and “Smoke And Wine,” and even the less menacing tunes like “My Drinking Problem” and “Angel Of Sin.” There’s a pure and soulful musical vision at the heart of Straight To Hell no matter how much Hank III lashes out against the confines of current country music and messes with the form.

Released: 11/11/22