Rufus Lee and The Handful Put the O Back in Outlaw Country with “Ballad of Rufus Lee”
Any country music worth its salt drawls more than it twangs. Twang is more reserved for pop country nowadays, and like the immortal (well, not really) Hank Williams III famously drawled, “pop country really sucks!” Rufus Lee and The Handful definitely don’t suck. In fact, they are about as good a representation of the sound, and spirit, of outlaw country as Shooter Jennings used to be. In fact, on their debut album, The Ballad of Rufus Lee, they move beyond the outlaw stylings of Shooter and veer mightily into Dwight Yoakam and Southern Rock territory. With a strong Bakersfield beat and stripped-down guitars, pedal steel, and bass RLATH bring the outlaw country in spades. The kind of country that you can rock to as well as scoot to.
Comprised of Donnie Blackwell (vocals/guitar), Mike Bagwell (pedal steel), Mike Merck (lead guitar), Chuck Hughes (vocals/bass), and John Taylor (drums), RLATH slide easily between rock n’ roll outlaw songs and heartfelt ballads. On tracks like the standout “For The Night,” they even approach Bob Seger and Allman Brothers territory. Mixing the type of longing that often defines country music lyrics and the rock guitar lines that often define Southern Rock, RLATH find the sweet spot that marries both. It’s a trail blazed long ago, that somehow sounds freshly traveled here. The album’s title track, “The Ballad of Rufus Lee ” betrays the band’s most obvious Bob Seger influence. Obviously conjuring the same type of storytelling and melody that Seger lived in while soaring to Pink Floyd-like heights, RLATH in no way copy or ape either artist’s sound. All great artists contribute to the ongoing conversation that is a genre of writing, painting, sculpting, and music composition, and RLATH further the conversation here better than many more well-known outlaw country bands. “The Ballad of Rufus Lee” is the album’s other standout moment and landed the title track moniker for obvious reasons.
The album is comprised of many more savory, downhome, and big Music City rockers and slow burners. “If I Ever Get Back” brings the Bakersfield/Yoakam vibes. “Running Out of Ways” brings a solidly cruising beat and guitar line just made for rolling down a country road toward a Carolina beach getaway. From front to back, The Ballad of Rufus Lee is a complete and consummate work of musical art that is mature beyond its age, yet still holds onto its youthful exuberance. Or more plainly, it’s just an album loaded with damn good musicianship and songwriting that should be experienced.
Speaking of experiencing the band, Rufus Lee and The Handful’s The Ballad of Rufus Lee was recorded in Greenville, SC at Sit-N-Spin Studios, so it’s only fitting that they have their album debut party at Greenville’s own The Velo Fellow on Oct. 22nd. Get out and experience the album live.
