Billy F. Gibbons – Hardware

ZZ Top may very well be the most stripped down, straightforward rock n’ roll band of all time. Their rootsy brand of bare bones blues made fellow hard rockers Grand Funk Railroad and Humble Pie sound pretentious by comparison. This would change come the 80s as the Little Ol’ Band from Texas would reinvent themselves as the premiere pop rock hitmakers of the decade. But by the time they released their last album, La Futura (2012), the band had come full circle, returning to the no frills formula that made them American icons. And while I as much as anyone else would love to hear a new ZZ Top album, the solo offerings of guitarist Billy F. Gibbons are the next best thing.

Gibbons embarked upon a solo career in 2015 with the release of Perfectamundo. A journey into the exotic world of Latin rock and pop, it was a headscratcher for many longtime fans. 2018’s The Big Bad Blues lived up to its name, specializing in that boogie infused blues we all know and love from Gibbons. His latest album, Hardware, picks up where The Big Bad Blues left off, but also incorporates fresh, exciting elements that would never be found on an album with the ZZ Top moniker upon it.

The album opens with my choice cut, “My Lucky Card”. On an album filled with ZZ Top style songs, this is the ZZ Top-ist of them all. “My Lucky Card” is a pure southern fried rocker, filled with gutsy grooves, ballsy blues, and Gibbons’ trademark gruff vocals to top it all off. “She’s on Fire” shifts focus to the dance friendly, boogie woogie side of ZZ Top. In fact, there are several songs tailor made for rug cutting. For example, there’s “Stackin’ Bones” and the self explanatory “Shuffle, Step & Slide”.

Though most of the songs are predominantly early 70s sounding in both production and approach, “More-More-More” screams the 80s. If the rest of Hardware is blues rock for seedy bars, this is blues rock for mega arenas. Gibbons bangs away on big, beefy riffs that practically border on metal. Other surprises include “Vagabond Man”, a warm, soulful ballad reminiscent of ZZ Top’s “Hot, Blue and Righteous”, and “West Coast Junkie”, which marries Texas blues and California surf. If that isn’t a match made in Tarantino soundtrack heaven, I don’t know what is. “Hey Baby, Que Paso” is a tongue in cheek Latin flavored romp that wouldn’t sound out of place on Perfectamundo. Rounding it all out is the eerie “Desert High”. On this song, Gibbons recites a spoken word poem about the California desert and the infamous Joshua Tree Inn over a wall of sticky, atmospheric guitars. If you close your eyes, you can practically feel the scorching air engulfing your soul.

Hardware may not be as hard rocking or cohesive as your average ZZ Top affair, but that’s to be expected because it’s not ZZ Top. That said, if you’re a ZZ Top fan, there’s no reason you shouldn’t appreciate this effort. For the past half a century, Gibbons has only known how to be himself and I wouldn’t have it any other way. At this stage in the game, he’s an undisputed rock god who’s earned the same elder statesmen status as the heroes he looked up to, like Bo Diddley and BB King. Hardware is a testament to his unstoppable, unrelenting, and undying commitment to blues, boogie, and rock n’ roll. Can I get an “Amen!” for the Reverend Willy G?!

7 out of 10

Label: Concord Records

Genre: Blues Rock

For fans of: ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, Savoy Brown