Like ripping bolts of lightning from the sky, REVEREND HORTON HEAT unleash smoldering electricity with “Whole New Life,” the lead single and music video from their new album, aptly titled Whole New Life. The album will be available everywhere via Victory Records on November 30, 2018.
From his signature Gretsch guitar, Jim ‘Reverend Horton’ Heath summons a bounty of rock ‘n’ roll flavors and Whole New Life is the perfect example of how a great song can hook you instantly. Also featuring longtime slap-bass general Jimbo Wallace, the eleven track blockbuster features new sticksman Arjuna ‘RJ’ Contreras whose jazz and rock qualifications brought a distinctive new backbeat to the legendary rockabilly duo. A flashy, young pianist named Matt Jordan, possessing all the pomp and power of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, rounds out the lineup. Heath expands, “I love playing with these guys, it truly is a whole new band, so the title fits perfectly. It is appropriate for what Jimbo, RJ, Matt and I are going through. We’re really enjoying our career right now and it’s all a little new for each of us.”
Recording the album in their hometown of Dallas, Heath recalls that “Back in the 1950’s, reverb chambers were really hip and I always loved their warmth and production value. It really sent me to this whole other headspace where I worked with a lot of vintage gear on this album – some of which I built myself for a truly unique sound – ribbon, old tube microphones, pre-amps and stuff. Creating Whole New Life brought out something in my vocals where I am screaming more and making more throaty sounds. It’s got some Louisiana feel to it, such as the New Orleans tribute ‘Tchoupitoulas Street,’ a bit of gruff and some Roy Orbison style in it, which the tune ‘Perfect’ is a nod to.”
“This tour started around 1986,” Heath chuckles dryly. Averaging nearly 200 performances a year, REVEREND HORTON HEAT have been teasing fans with new cuts from Whole New Life this year, but the Texas troubadours truly kick off their first leg behind Whole New Life with the annual Horton’s Holiday Hayride, beginning November 27 in Omaha, NE before taking a holiday break as the run winds down in Birmingham, AL on December 22. As touring through 2019 is on the horizon, Heath quips, “I’m afraid I’m on the Willie Nelson retirement program, which means I’ll never retire.”
Whole New Life Track Listing:
1. Whole New Life
2. Hog Tyin’ Woman
3. Hate To See You Cry
4. Got It In My Pocket
5. Don’t Let Go Of Me
6. Ride Before The Fall
7. Tchoupitoulas Street
8. Sunrise Through The Power Lines
9. Wonky
10. Perfect
11. Viva Las Vegas
