Hillbilly Vegas - Long Way Back EP (2024) Hi-Res

A title track with a deeply personal message – it is written about Hillbilly Vegas’ singer, Steve Harris’s grandad missing home while overseas in 1944 – is the perfect intro into the five piece and their blend of the classic yet new.

And never mind sharing a name with the founder member of Iron Maiden, just when you thought Hillbilly Vegas’ mix of southern country rock couldn’t get any better, they bring in a literal member of Honeycrack for a song. Willie Dowling’s piano work on the song is as classy as it needs to be. That relaxed vibe is all well and good, but Hillbilly Vegas’ usual playground is “Down The Honkytonk,” where they all channel their inner John Fogerty, perfectly capturing the sweat-soaked nights the band envisioned when they started on an updated cover of Frankie Miller’s track.

“Helluva Night” delves deeper into their country roots and nails it, raising a toast to “freedom, good times, and rock ‘n’ roll.” Despite the fun and classic elements bursting through the record, it must be said that Hillbilly Vegas are exceptional songwriters. The chorus of “Oklahoma 3.2” is irresistible, and if it doesn’t hook you, this album might not be for you.

For the rest of us, we can revel in the closing track “Hey Y’all,” which combines bass and piano grooves in a way that’s almost rockabilly. The chorus leans more towards Sweet than Stray Cats, and if this song were to cause a ruckus somewhere, there’d undoubtedly be a blitz of Jack Daniel’s involved, ballroom or not.

Hillbilly Vegas have struck the jackpot again. Viva the hillbillies!