Easy For The Takin' is Alabama based The Skeeters' (Bert Newton- lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Rick Eller- bass, backing vocals, Matt Martin- lead guitar, backing vocals and Chase Armstrong- drums) sophomore outing, the follow-up to their highly acclaimed self titled debut, The Skeeters.

Once again, the boys went into the studio with famed producer Johnny Sandlin and the resulting album is yet another first rate effort. Bert wrote 10 of the album's 14 tracks (which includes one co-write with Matt) and as with their debut, Easy For The Takin' includes another unrecorded song by their biggest fan and mentor, Billy Joe Shaver. As if that isn't impressive enough, Billy Joe himself shines with a guest appearance on a rollicking, rough and tumble two-stepping cover of his "Mother Trucker."

The album opens immediately on a high note with the title track, "Easy For The Takin'," a roadhouse honky tonker that tells the tale of a free-spirited woman who every man wants but none will possess. The swampy, rockin' two-stepper "The Road," is a cleverly strong song about the lure and addiction the road holds with an unusual twist as it's told from a unique perspective. The fiddle driven, slightly bluegrass inflected gem, "Honky Tonkin'," tells an autobiographical 'band-on-the-road' tale, while "Dodgin' The Blues" combines the themes of Southern pride, living on the edge and the thrill of the chase. After listening to "I Have Just Begun," I couldn't help but hearing it as the flip side to the Waylon/Willie classic "Good Hearted Woman," the subject of the former song being the good timing man of the good hearted woman in the latter song. "Cut Me Loose" conveys a hint of sorrow and regret beneath the hard edged demand to be set free from a love that's grown cold. They sizzle with some slinky blues in "Johnny," a steamy song that finds a man trying to talk the object of his desire out of her desire for another man.

The boys slow things down with the melancholy mid-tempo ballad "Tryin' To Get There" about a man's struggle to get himself together. "Memory Lane" is a waltzing ballad in search of answers by revisiting the past. An album highlight is the previously unrecorded Billy Joe Shaver penned "Alabama Love Song," a gently pretty proclamation of love. Another high point is the haunting western ballad, "Cowboy." They deliver a standout with some soulfully swaying blues in a Delbert McClinton vein on the smouldering "After The Fact"  

Sorry, sorry and sorry again- but the inevitable comparison with the late, great Waylon Jennings simply can't be ignored. Inevitable because Bert's deep baritone is so often uncannily similar to Waylon's- full of soul, power and honesty. Inevitable not because Bert or The Skeeters are consciously trying to fill Waylon's shoes by imitation, but because they are unconsciously carrying on Waylon's torch via his strong willed spirit. Waylon was never one to limit himself to boundaries in his music. His renegade ways helped steer country music back to it's roots by uncovering it's soul and putting the blues back into country music. At the same time he never shied away from mixing in country music's close cousins- R&B, rock & roll and even folk into his sometimes rough and sometimes tender country sound. Thumping basslines and edgy guitar riffs often ran through his hardscrabble, devil-may-care outlaw honky tonk and his influence cut across genre lines. And so, the comparison lays primarily with The Skeeters' outstanding ability to embody Waylon's approach to music.

Although The Skeeters' overall sound bears a striking similarity to Waylon at his best, they also incorporate bits of Nashville's other outlaws- Billy Joe Shaver, Kristofferson, Willie and Cash- along with plenty of their own original sound. Bert possesses a truly amazing voice, the songwriting is strong, powerful and doesn't merely rehash tired old themes that have become cliche. The band perfectly captures the spirit of the music, their playing is tight and on target but at the same time projects a loose, almost reckless sound. The result is a fresh updated perspective on the much storied roadhouse/honky tonk country of the outlaw glory days. The Skeeters hit a home run with their self titled debut. On Easy For The Takin'', this time they hit one out of the park- with the bases loaded. 

Standout Tracks: "Easy For The Takin'," "The Road," "Johnny," "Mother Trucker," "Cowboy," "After The Fact," "Honky Tonkin'," "Alabama Love Song"

On The Net: www.theskeeters.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack September 2004