The Notorious Cherry Bombs

1	Let It Roll, Let It Ride
2	If I Ever Break Your Heart
3	Wait a Minute
4	Making Memories of Us
5	Oklahoma Dust
6	Dangerous Curves
7	Forever Someday
8	On the Road to Ruin
9	Heart of a Jealous Man
10	It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long
11	Sweet Little Lisa
12	Let It Roll, Let It Ride (Reprise)

Barnes & Noble

Like a country cousin to the mighty Blind Faith (which corralled the powers of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker), the Notorious Cherry Bombs boast an all-star cast. The group originally formed as the Cherry Bombs in the '70s from the remnants of Emmylou Harris's formidable Hot Band, with Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, and legendary producer/piano player/label exec Tony Brown at the core. The bandmates went their separate ways but have now regrouped as the Notorious Cherry Bombs, with a host of Nashville session stars behind them, and offer up a worth-the-wait debut that's a prime contender for album of the year. This is a great work, true and soulful and deeply country, nearly perfect in all its elements. Gill's husky voice has rarely been more winsome than on his self-penned honky-tonk heartbreaker, "Forever Someday"; more affecting than on his R&B-tinged shuffle, "Oklahoma Dust"; or more dramatic than on his swirling, ominous murder ballad, "Heart of a Jealous Man." Rodney Crowell contributes three exquisite songs, one of which, "Making Memories of Us," is not just a beautiful and tear-inducing love song but also a supremely moving lyric of devotion and faith that works on spiritual levels most writers can only dream of reaching. And just to keep things balanced, Crowell and Gill co-wrote the instant honky-tonk classic, "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long," the title of which underscores how vital truth is to this collaboration. Far from the fruits of a mere novelty act, these are songs folks'll be singing along with, and finding new meaning in, for years and years to come. David McGee

All Music Guide

The Notorious Cherry Bombs are the country music equivalent of a supergroup. Most of the members of this band -- Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, and Hank DeVito -- all met while playing together in Emmylou Harris' Hot Band. The original Cherry Bombs were Crowell's recording and touring band after he left Harris' group. Guitarist Richard Bennett stepped into the Cherry Bombs when Albert Lee left to tour with Eric Clapton. The late drummer Larrie London was also a member of that band, as was Emory Gordy. While London makes an appearance by the magic of tape, Gordy had no interest in the reunion. Also present on this set are Nashville session hotshots Eddie Bayers, John Hobbs, and Michael Rhodes. Jenny Gill, Vince's daughter, sings backup on one track as well. Sonically, the music is loose good-time country-rock, and the gorgeous harmonies between Gill and Crowell are a high point. The songs are mostly spread out between the pair; they co-wrote three, and each contributed a pair of solo tracks with a smattering of others carefully chosen for full relaxed effect. All the collaborations -- the rollicking opener, "Let It Roll, Let It Ride," which is a modern-day version of country boogie, the single "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long," and the midtempo torch song "Dangerous Curves" -- are clear standouts, as is a studio version of Gill's live rockabilly standard "Oklahoma Dust." DeVito's classic "Sweet Little Lisa," immortalized by Dave Edmunds, is another watermark. Given the inclusion of this track and DeVito's link to Edmunds, the Notorious Cherry Bombs have a metaphorical relationship as the country music cousin of Rockpile, the Edmunds and Nick Lowe-fronted multi-talented group that issued the classic Seconds of Pleasure in the early '80s -- while the original Cherry Bombs were performing and recording together here and in England. As reunions go, this is as solid and wonderfully played a set of tunes -- with a boatload of guitar players -- as one could assemble. There's "destiny" inscribed in all these grooves. If listeners connect, this seeming one-off may turn into something else. Let's hope they do. Thom Jurek