The title A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC is bound to inspire some laughs -- after all, hillbilly music and the songs of Australia's most famous heavy metal band seem an unlikely combination. But when you think about it, the idea isn't so outrageous. Country was a major influence on early rock & rollers like
Chuck Berry,
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Carl Perkins, and
Elvis Presley, and it's impossible to listen to country radio without hearing artists who have been greatly influenced by
Linda Ronstadt,
Lynyrd Skynyrd, or
the Eagles. Some of those artists probably have some
AC/DC albums in their collection. That said,
Hayseed Dixie's
AC/DC tribute doesn't take itself too seriously -- the whole thing is meant to be amusing, and the band's twangy, bluegrass-minded country-rock interpretations of
AC/DC gems are delivered with a big dose of irony. Four of the ten songs are favorites from the
Bon Scott era ("Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," "Highway to Hell," "T.N.T.," and "Big Balls"), while the other six were recorded after Brian Johnson replaced the late
Scott as
AC/DC's lead singer (including "Hell's Bells," "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Have a Drink on Me," and "Back in Black"). This album is exactly what it was meant to be: a goofy, entertaining, and very ironic novelty item. ~ Alex Henderson