The hick-hop boom of the 2013-2014 season continued with
the Big Smo's major-label debut album, the release of which just happened to coincide with the premiere of his reality TV series. Put a couple country superstars on the guest list (
Frankie Ballard and
Darius Rucker), jam the track list with anthems worthy of
Kid Rock or
Colt Ford ("Bumpy Road" and "Come On" are strong, stadium-sized singalongs), and then stage the cover for that "rebel" appeal ("
Smo...can you hold the moonshine jar a lil' higher?") and the corporate cornpone formula will pay off splendidly, but Kuntry Livin' can't be written off so easily. Partly because
Smo's got charisma and partly because he's a crafty, scrappy fellow with a
Lil Wyte affiliation linking him to the underground and an approach that says "Hell, I can do this!," which might be the optimal way to come at a hick-hop album. The brilliantly titled "Hick Ross" barks "I'm the grand champ of my camp, like a ten-point buck/You'll get that 12-gauge spray if you mess with my truck!" and anyone who spends Saturdays in a Cabela's or a Big Three car lot can testify, while numbers like "Workin'" and "Redneck Rich" ("There's always somethin' hooked to my hitch") are
Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It" or
Rush's "Working Man" updated for the MP3 generation. Surprising when
Smo pours his heart out about loss ("Some people can stay in your heart, but not in your life") and wins during the moving "Cover My Eyes," and surprising that the album runs 14 tracks long and stands strong right to the end. Redundancy, however, might be an issue as the party numbers simply alternate between hootin' and hollerin', but as hick-hop albums from reality stars go, this is a monster truck rally on wax. Come 'round here lookin' for
Dylan,
Radiohead, or
Nas and
Smo is likely to kick your ass, so down a jar and believe him when he says "Hick Ross." ~ David Jeffries