★★★★★
Shameless, hooky, and slick, their country is about as pure as Mike Curb, who signed them, but if you can resist "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" you don't eat fried food, and I say the hell with you. Nonpuritans are directed to "Get Into Reggae Cowboy," which I'm glad I never heard on the radio because it might have palled there--in controlled doses it's the equal of "Lovers Live Longer" and "Redneck Girl."
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-03-20
★★★★★
The untoward success of Dwight Yoakam sent me scurrying to my shelves to compare and contrast. And from next big purist Pake McEntire to last big expurists the Judds, from Hollywood celeb Kenny Rogers to Nashville everyman Mel McDaniel, from who-he? T. Graham Brown to whoo-ee Waylon Jennings, these harmonizing eclectics were as good as I could find. Which ain't great and never has been, but will do...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-02-27
★★★★★
As they paunch out, they're passable humorists in "Hillbilly Hell" and fascinating sociologists-cum-chroniclers in "Rebels Without a Clue" and "Kids of the Baby Boom." But their harmonies have never had that fraternal magic, a failing that renders their maturing love songs inoperable.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-02-27
★★★★★
The problem with the lesser songs of these country slickers isn't that they're too dumb--it's that they're not dumb enough. I love their harmonies, but I prefer to keep their minds at a safe distance.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-02-27
★★★★★
Whatever its pretensions, all country music offers the same primary reward: tuneful variations on the verities of the ordinary. These harmonizing eclectics sometimes outdo themselves. The rueful, nostalgic "Old Hippie" is Nashville's own "Born in the U.S.A."--"He ain't tryin' to change nobody/He's just tryin' to adjust"--and "Lie to You for Your Love" is a generic paradox that puts their strong weakness for ass-man smarm in perspective...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-02-26
★★★★★
Rip off the Knob is a combination of new material and older favorites from the Bellamy Brothers. The highlights include "Stayin' in Love," featuring Texas Tornados Freddy Fender on guitar and Flaco Jimenez on accordion; a call for simpler days long gone on "The Andy Griffith Show"; and the hits "Feelin' the Feelin'," "Crazy From the Heart," "I Need More of You," and "Sugar Daddy." The album concludes with a weak reworking of "Reggae Cowboy" as a "Special Bonus Dance Mix."
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
The Bellamys explore a number of musical styles with success. In addition to the hits, check out "May You Never," written by the outstanding British folk artist John Martyn, the bluesy "Miss Misunderstood," or "Why Did We Die So Young?" with a strong early-'60s pop influence.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
After reuniting with Curb Records late in their career, Howard and David Bellamy re-emerge with new material following a double greatest-hits collection. Redneck Girls Forever is typical of the Bellamy style, featuring a smattering of social commentary about how the world has left the over-40 crowd in the dust intermingled with steamy love songs. Most of the cuts are written by David Bellamy...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
These prolific brothers turn in another fine batch of tunes (and one non-original) for this record. Their harmonies are appealing whether on the reggae-influenced "Dancin' Cowboys" or "Let Me Waltz Into Your Heart" with not a weak track here. Not great, but highly enjoyable.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
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