I admit it. I have a soft spot in my heart for ZZ Top. I wouldn't normally think of them as great artistic innovators or anything, but I was just the right age when their Eliminator album came out in the early 80's to think that the crazy guys with the red car and wacky beards were damn cool. Oh yeah, they got chicks too.
All that said, when I was a kid I had a lot less musical exposure and today I have a much lower interest in novelty. I'm looking for good music.
On that score, happily, "Tres Hombres" doesn't disappoint. In fact, it's more musically complex and moving than I expected. I have previously own this album, but it's probably been at least 15 years since then. The music was familiar, as would be expected, but still quite surprising. The guitar, bass and drums are all played expertly in songwriting that is sometimes in the same league as some of the more hallowed early-70's rockers (think Derek and the Dominos or The Band). "La Grange", "Waiting For the Bus", "Hot, Blue and Righteous", are all great songs. ZZ Top may have been a gimmick in 1983, but in 1973 they were just a kick ass rock band.
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