Road Kings - Road Kings (1999)

Texas rockabilly band.
Having a love for early country acts like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, members of the Road Kings wanted to add their own brand of country and modern rock to their home state of Texas. On top of their ZZ Top, Junior Brown, the Supersuckers, and Beck influences, Jason Burns (uptight bass), Richie Vasquez (drums), and Jesse Dayton (guitar/ vocals) made their Surfdog Records debut in 1999 with self-titled first album.

Most Texas blues bands keep things pretty straightforward, turning out gritty records that would sound good at any Lone Star road house. The Road Kings are little different. Perhaps mindful of winning a larger, younger audience, they've taken cues from such post-alternative bluesmen as Beck, giving their music a solid rhythmic underpinning and a radio-ready gloss. At times, that means that their eponymous debut feels a little directionless, or possibly compromised, but when they lay back and simply rock, they -- and, in particular, lead guitarist Jesse Dayton -- show their promise.