 |
 |
I just picked up ZZ Top’s 5th album, Tejas. Actually it showed up on my doorstep unannounced – must have been a good night. This has always been one of my favorites, I used to have a cassette tape copy that I played it to pieces in the ’84 Pontiac Firebird I drove in high school. Right from the get go this record rules, the honky It’s Only Love paving the way for thirty minutes of timeless desert-vibe shuffle rock. The para-diddle drum patterns and small guitar tones collide pleasantly with raw melodic bass and blues howling vocals. This record is a far cry from Eliminator or even Tres Hombres, the heavily distorted guitar absent, exposing the technical proficiency of Texas’ greatest band. Tejas is certainly worth a focused and unfocused listen.