''Push Comes to Shove'' is the second album by the American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band

Jackyl Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me" ...

, released in 1994. It peaked at No. 46 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The title track peaked at No. 7 on ''Billboards

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart and No. 90 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The band supported the album by playing

Woodstock '94 Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...

and touring with

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

and

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

. Mike Fraser was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

, in the "Recording Engineer of the Year" category.

Production

Recorded in Vancouver, the album was produced by

Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are ''Slippery When Wet'' an ...

. The band once again used a chainsaw as a musical instrument. Frontman

Jesse James Dupree Jesse James Dupree (born Jesse Dupree; September 22, 1962) is an American musician, television personality, and businessman. He is the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter in the rock band Jackyl, founded in 1991. As a solo performer ...

made an attempt to modify the screechiness of his vocals. Photos of Dupree's handlebar mustache were initially altered by the record company. "Secret of the Bottle" is the band's version of a country ballad. "Rock-A-Ho" employs Native American stereotypes and clichés in its lyrics. "My Life" laments that classic rock radio stations don't play the music of new bands.

Critical reception

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' wrote that the band members "lack the chops to even hint at Lynyrd Skynyrd-level Dixie-boogie greatness." The ''

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...

'' noted that Dupree's "grating, one-note range limits him to shrieking in tune." The ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'' opined that "Dupree has perfected his mix of former AC/DC frontman Bon Scott's growling throat with the likes of Yosemite Sam." The ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel, also known as Knox News,'' is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''The ...

'' determined that "these dumb-as-can-be songs feature easy to remember shout-along choruses, much like nursery rhymes have simple refrains so infant minds can connect." ''

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...

'' concluded that "''Push Comes to Shove'' becomes one of those guilty pleasures that sometimes must be indulged." The ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' deemed the album "a collection of gimmicky, foot-stomping AC/DC and Guns N' Roses riffs that are tailor-made for summertime hard-rock radio."

Track listing

All songs written by

except as noted. #"Push Comes to Shove" - 3:05 #"Headed for Destruction" - 5:14 #"My Life" - 4:06 #"I Could Never Touch You Like You Do" - 3:50 #"Dixieland" - 6:01 #"I Want It" - 5:04 #"Private Hell" - 4:38 #"I Am the I Am" - 3:42 #"Secret of the Bottle" (J. J. Dupree, James Allen Dupree) - 5:27 #"Rock-A-Ho" (J. J. Dupree, Jeff Worley, Chris Worley) - 3:50 #"Back Down in the Dirt" - 4:02 #"Chinatown" - 3:24 #"Redneck Punk (live version) - 4:00 (Japanese bonus track)

Credits

;Band members *

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pruning, ...

Jimmy Stiff Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me" ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s *

Jeff Worley Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me ...

- guitars * Tom Bettini -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Chris Worley -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

;Guest musicians *

Randy Raine-Reusch Randy Raine-Reusch (born 1952) is a Canadian composer, performer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist specializing in New and Experimental Music for instruments from around the world, particularly those from East and Southeast Asia. Research ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

on "Chinatown" ;Production *Produced by

*Engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser *Assistant engineer: Mike Plotnikoff *Recorded at the Warehouse Studio *Mixed at Plant Recording Studios

References

{{Authority control Jackyl albums 1994 albums Albums produced by Bruce Fairbairn Geffen Records albums