''Straight to Hell'' is the third studio album by American musician

Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique fusion of traditional country music, rockabilly, heavy metal and punk rock. He was the ...

, released on February 28, 2006 by Bruc Records, an imprint of

Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...

. In largely self-produced sessions recorded at a band member's home, Williams and

the Damn Band The Damn Band is the backing band of Hank Williams III. It was formed in 1995, and the band is on most of Williams's country records. The band has had many changes in the line-ups. It consists of acoustic guitar (played by Williams), steel guita ...

recorded traditional

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

and bluegrass songs which focus on drug use, hedonism and the outlaw life, as well as criticism of the mainstream country music industry. These songs make up the first disc, while the second disc consists of a

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done throug ...

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis to ...

Recording

After the recording of Williams' previous album, ''

Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' ''Lovesick, Broke and Driftin is the second studio album by American country music artist Hank Williams III, released on January 29, 2002. Hank III has stated that he considers this album as his real solo debut and despises his previous album '' ...

'' (2002), Williams would not release new music for another four years due to a contractual dispute with

. Upon resolving the dispute, Williams decided to produce and record his next album independently.

Music

The album consists of two discs. The first disc consists of country,

and bluegrass songs which fused the "tempo and structure of bluegrass" with the "attitude and swagger of heavy metal". The album's lyrical themes include drug use, hedonism and the outlaw life, as well as criticism of the mainstream country music industry. The album opens up with a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

the Louvin Brothers The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member. The brothers wrote and performed cou ...

' "

Satan Is Real ''Satan Is Real'' is a gospel bluegrass album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1959. History Producer Ken Nelson set up recording sessions in August 1958 to record enough tracks for two albums. The first was to b ...

", which leads into the title track. Williams states that lyrical inspiration came from his very conservative religious mother, as well as an interest in

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

and

Satanism Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...

. "Dick In Dixie" was written as a criticism of

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

, which Williams views as being antithetical to traditional country music. Williams' criticisms of the mainstream country music industry are contrasted with a lyrical reverence for traditional country music artists displayed on songs such as "Country Heroes" in which he references country music artists that inspired him, including Hank Williams Sr.,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...

. In the lyrics of "Not Everybody Likes Us", Williams addresses the rumor that

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...

is the son of

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

The second disc consists of a

It includes two tracks, "Louisiana Stripes", and a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

consisting of a medley of other Williams compositions along with covers of Hank Williams Sr.'s "I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You",

Cheech & Chong Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...

's " Up in Smoke" and

Wayne Hancock Thomas Wayne Hancock III (born May 1, 1965, in Dallas, Texas) better known as Wayne "The Train" Hancock, is an American singer-songwriter. Hancock is known as "The King of Juke Joint Swing," because his sound is unique, as he incorporates jazz, ...

's "Take My Pain", all linked with various soundbites and sound effects such as voice mail messages, passing trains, runaway horses, a creek, a funeral, pig snorts, backmasking, and bong hits.

Release

''Straight to Hell'' was released as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

on February 28, 2006 by Bruc Records, an imprint of

, on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

in explicit and clean edited editions, as well as on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

. On his website, Williams encourages fans to support independent record outlets that are more willing to stock the uncensored version of the album.

Reception

Mark Deming of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album 4 out of 5, writing, "There's a pure and soulful musical vision at the heart of ''Straight to Hell'' no matter how much Hank III lashes out against the confines of current country music and messes with the form, and that's what makes him most valuable as an outlaw -- there's lots of long-haired dope-smoking rednecks out there, but not many that can tap into the sweet and dirty heart of American music the way Hank III does, and ''Straight to Hell'' proves he's got a whole lot to say on that particular subject." In a more critical review,

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

's Noel Murray gave the album a B+ rating, writing, "Just because Hank Williams III is the scion of country-music legends doesn't automatically excuse him from accusations of rednexploitation", claiming that the lyrics of "Crazed Country Rebel" "

ander The masculine name Ander is a variant of the Greek name "Andreas". Other variants of the Greek name "Andreas" are Andrés and Andrew, as well as Anders. The masculine name Ander is a variant Basque form of Andrew. Notable people with the name An ...

to people who think that 'authentic' country music has to be about outlaw losers, as though nobody in the heartland ever held onto a job or fell in love."

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric tic-tac bass, tremolo guitar, phaser guitar, shouts, bong *

Joe Buck Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster. The son of sportscaster Jack Buck, he worked for Fox Sports from its 1994 inception through 2022, including roles as lead play-by-play announcer for the network's Nation ...

– electric bass, stand-up bass, mandolin, accordion, guitar, electric tic-tac bass, shouts *Andy Gibson – steel guitar, Dobro *Donnie Herron – fiddle, claw-hammer banjo *

Johnny Hiland Johnny Hiland is a legally blind American musician/guitarist. Early life Hiland grew up in Maine, with an eye disease called nystagmus. He started playing guitar at age 2, played his first talent show at age 5, performed on Dick Stacey's Jamb ...

– electric guitar *Shawn McWilliams – drums *

Randy Kohrs Randy Kohrs is an American multi-instrumentalist best known for his resonator guitar prowess, but he plays 13 instruments. He is also a Grammy-winning producer and recording engineer. Biography Early years Kohrs was raised on a farm near the rur ...

– Dobro, steel guitar, backing vocals *Tim Carter – banjo *Eric B – guitar *Tia Sprocket – backing vocals *Rod Janzen – electric guitar *Joe Fazzio – drums *Travis "Skunky" Gillespie – harmonica

Production

*Hank Williams III – recording engineer, mix engineer *Joe Buck – recording engineer *Andy Gibson – recording engineer *Jim Lightman – mixing engineer

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2006 albums Bruc Records albums Hank Williams III albums Sound collage albums