Send "The Boxmasters " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Prefixmag |
 W.R. “Bud” Thornton, better known to Christmas haters and aficionados of French-fried pertaters as Billy Bob, always really wanted to be a musician. The story of the poor, starving rocker plucked from obscurity to sell himself in the cold climes of Hollywood is claimed by everyone from Johnny Depp to Keanu Reeves, and Joaquin Phoenix has recently attempted a sort of bizarro version with his rap career, but most of the musical output from this camp sounds suspiciously like it's coming from actors trying their best to play musicians.Thornton stands apart. When he plays with the Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton the actor ceases to exist. He is replaced by Bud the drummer, who combines with bassist J.D. Andrew and guitarist Mike Butler to deliver their collective -- and decidedly skewed -- perspective on traditional American music. Modbilly, the Boxmaster’s third set, continues to rewrite the history of rockabilly music, bringing a current sense of cynicism to the perfect pop hooks of yesteryear....full text |
| Popmatters |
| The Boxmasters return with their third album, Modbilly. Drummer and frontman W.R. ("Bud") Thornton may eschew his fame and notoriety, but his informal, famous name is how most of us are hearing of this band. The outfit’s name conjures the crude term for a man’s ego-inflated and exaggerated “successful” way with women. The Boxmasters purportedly arranged their sound like a 1960s rock band whose dark themes contrast against their catchy hooks and peppy rhythms. While many of their songs have a rocking feel, the most successful songs follow the rockabilly and country patterns. Bud perhaps puts it best by describing the Boxmasters as “electric hillbilly”. His gruff, cigarette-weakened vocals lend a certain authority to song fodder like hard livin’ and blue collar circumstances. As a drummer, Bud also excels the most when he just keeps the tempo at a country pace. When he wanders into more pop-rock territory, he tends to overuse the hi-hat, cymbals, and tambourine to keep time, resulting in an overly tinny sound. J.D. Andrew provides some resinous country bass-lines, guitars, and background vocals. Again, in the more country-leaning songs, the harmonies punch more accurately and achieve a better success than the fairly muddy harmonies found on the straight-forward rock songs. Finally, Mike Butler provides lead guitar, lap steel and Dobro, rounding out the twangy trio....full text |
| Ew |
| Ciara Fantasy Ride Ride spends a lot of time in the car-pool lane, with guests like Justin Timberlake (''Love Sex Magic'') and Ludacris (''High Price,'' a slinky, if lyrically obnoxious, ode to acquisitiveness). Still, her solo turn on the morning-after ballad ''I Don't Remember'' hints at something deeper under the high-gloss sheen. B — Leah Greenblatt The Boxmasters Modbilly Boxmaster Billy Bob Thornton's recent radio meltdown begged to be heard over and over. The same can't be said of this unmemorable collection, the band's third album in less than a year. Note to Hollywood: Keep this guy busier. C — Clark Collis Ben Harper and Relentless7 White Lies for Dark Times Harper's new band makes a fabulous racket, and the singer himself sounds reenergized on the soulful likes of ''Lay There and Hate Me.'' B+ — Clark Collis Yusuf Roadsinger The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens hasn't lost his knack for melody. But with clunkers like ''When I hold your hand I could fly a zillion miles with you,'' he could use a lyrical refresher course. B- — Mikael Wood Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band Outer South Fans used to the intimacy of Oberst's earlier work may be flummoxed by the collaborative Traveling Wilburys vibe here, but they'll find it again on the elegant, mournful ''White Shoes.'' B — Leah Greenblatt Richard Goode Beethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos This sublime set reaffirms Goode's authority with the early Romantics. Each is so lethally realized we nearly overlook the little miracles Ivan Fischer conjures up with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. A — Bryant Manning...full text |
The Boxmasters lyrics
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