Rhythmeen

by ZZ Top

Overview

ZZ Top's long-awaited return to the blues finally arrived in 1996, well over a decade after they abandoned their simple three-chord boogie for a synth and drum machine-driven three-chord boogie. Like Antenna before it, Rhythmeen is stripped of all the synthesizers that had characterized the group's albums since Eliminator but the key difference between the two albums is how Rhythmeen goes for the gut, not the gloss. It's a record that is steeped in the blues and garage rock, one that pounds out its riffs with sweat and feeling. Though ZZ Top sounds reinvigorated, playing with a salacious abandon they haven't displayed since the '70s, they simply haven't come up with enough interesting songs and riffs to make it a true return to form. For dedicated fans, it's a welcome return to their classic "La Grange" sound, but anyone with a just a passing interest in the band will wonder where the hooks went. [The CD was also released with a bonus track.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/2009
Label:	Rca / Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886974794523
Rank:	101820

Tracks

1. Rhythmeen
2. Bang Bang
3. Black Fly
4. What's Up With That
5. Vincent Price Blues
6. Zipper Job
7. Hairdresser
8. She's Just Killing Me
9. My Mind is Gone
10. Loaded
11. Prettyhead
12. Hummbucking, Pt. 2

Album Credits

Performance Credits

ZZ Top   Primary Artist
Billy Gibbons   Vocals,Guitar
Dusty Hill   Bass,Vocals
Frank Beard   Drums,Vocals
Douglas Biro   Director

Technical Credits

James Bland   Photography
Billy Gibbons   Composer,Producer,Design
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Bill Ham   Producer
Joe Hardy   Mixing,Composer,Engineer
Dusty Hill   Composer
Frank Beard   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Gary L. Moon   Composer,Assistant Engineer
Lizzie Harrah   Assistant Engineer
Sean Mosher-Smith   Art Direction,Design