The Suicide Kings
The Suicide Kings
(Blue Plate)

The cover of The Suicide Kings says it all. It says country, it says tongue-in-cheek, it says clever. Thirty years ago, when album covers meant something, this would have been priceless—the Marlboro man meets Howdy Doody.

Then comes the question: Does the inside match the outside? The song titles themselves make for an interesting comic read. How could you go wrong with titles like "Hogtown Willie," "Hooker's Lament" or "Even Hookers Say Goodbye" (notice a bit of a theme)? Still, does the inside match? The answer is yes.

The title cut offers repentance to Jesus in a manner that only the Flying Burrito Brothers might have done. From repentance, the Suicide Kings move on to women who are looking to score and a crime of passion on a trailer floor.

Of course, there are the hookers. "She's a friend to every man" and "she takes more than she can stand" on "Hooker's Lament," where her love is not free. On "Even Hookers Say Goodbye," the Kings combine a touch of the Stones with a good helping of Johnny Cash.

Come to think of it, not much here is forgettable. Bring your cowboy boots, a bottle of cheap whiskey and your sense of humor. Then kick back, plant your tongue in your cheek and give The Suicide Kings a listen.
—Gene Knapp