Portland, Ore., singer-guitarist Kasey Anderson has a reputation for creating gritty Americana roots rock akin to Ryan Adams or Steve Earle. But Anderson decided roots rock was a headlock he needed to escape, thus his new band, the Honkies, and latest album, Heart of a Dog. This is a 44-minute powerhouse of pure rock ’n’ roll that swaggers like the late-’70s Rolling Stones on the charged-up “Sirens and Thunder” and goes grungy during the distorted cut “Kasey Anderson’s Dream,” which has a bite similar to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Key songs include aptly named punch-out “My Baby’s a Wrecking Ball” and a red-hot reinterpretation of the English Beat’s “Save It for Later,“ which is tacked on as a hidden bonus track. Thankfully, Anderson has not forsaken his traditionalist impulses, which emerge during “My Blues, My Love” and the memory-laced “Your Side of Town.” If Steve Earle was running a bar band, this might be the stellar result.
Grade: B
Heart of a Dog is currently available.
Music: CD Reviews
Kasey Anderson and the Honkies: Heart of a Dog
(Red River)
By Doug Simpson

(Credit: Hilary Harris)
Article posted on 2/23/2011
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