Even if they were still active on the scene, The Horton Brothers hadn’t released anything on their own since «Heave Ho» in 2000. But it was worth the wait because this album is simply great. Just have a look at the musicians : playing with Bobby and Billy are Dave Biller, Buck Johnson and T Jarrod Bonta, the same winning team you find on Shaun Young’s Wiggle Walk. Even if this record is still what you can expect from the brothers (sweet harmonies, beautiful melodies…) I should say, comparing to Heave Ho or Roll back The Rug, that this one is less «rural» and sometimes more 60’s. The opening track, Bobby’s Hey Little Momma, has a very Buddy Holly feel with his beat à la Not Fade Away. The Buddy Holly connection continues with the Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison song "More Than I Can Say". A beautiful version all in subtlety.Another cover, Ruth Brown's «She Tells Me With Her Eyes» has a very strong Phil Spector feel in it (with those big drums rolls used in place of the "shoo-bee-dooby-wops"). Another highlight is «I Had One Too Many», The Wilburn Brothers song. They really rocked up this one with a wild boogie piano part and it works. But as usal, if the covers are great, the real strenght lays in the songs written by the brothers. «My Own Two Eyes» is by far my favorite with a solid tempo and nice harmonies, and «Yesterday’s Blues» is a beautiful slow tempo with sax (played by Billy). Another «must have album» for 2005..

Fred "Virgil" Turgis

"Hey It’s Bobby & Billy" is the debut album from the Horton brothers on which they are backed by top musicians including Shaun Young, Chris Miller, Tjarko, Lisa Pankratz. It contains good moment but to be honest, it’s far from the Horton sound one knows today. On this platter they are still in the process of learning their chops and finding their style and the album suffers of a lack of direction. Some songs are good and announce the direction the band would take on "Roll Back The Rug…" and the following albums but the sound remains a bit modern. It’s even more evident on some rockabilly material like « Look My Way » or « I Can’t Sit Still » that is closer to the Stray Cats than, say, Rusty and Doug Kershaw.
Not as essential as the rest of their discography but worth a spin nonetheless.

Fred "Virgil" Turgis