“People in front of their TV sets
Watching hell no one forgets.”
–“Somebody’s Hurtin’ Tonight”
Love & Hate In Desperate Places, released on August 30, 2024, counts as the Boxmasters’ 17th album. In the last year, The Boxmasters recorded four albums worth of material at their Peppertree Hill Studios in Agoura Hills, California. They’re also filming a new documentary on their 2024 Love & Hate fall tour.
Love & Hate retains a harder rocking edge than some Boxmasters albums. This gang of talented troubadours includes storytelling extraordinaire Billy Bob Thornton (vocals), J.D. Andrew (guitar), Kirk McKim (guitar), Rusty Hardy (bass) and Nick Davidson (drums).
“Jayne Mansfield’s Car” drives at full speed. Thornton shot a film with the same title and captures a vivid picture when he sings:
“We travel around the country
To entertain the masses
To show the bloody floorboard
And the scarf and the dark glasses.
Come on folks just step right up
We’ve traveled oh so far
To let you people have a look
Inside Jayne Mansfield’s car…”
“Somebody’s Hurtin’ Tonight”–propelled by Andrew and McKim’s electric guitars–reflects the voyeurism in modern times. “Fire Ring Falcons” evokes cinematic images amid the ‘plug-in-and-play’ mentality that will transfer well to a live audience. “I’d Never Dream I’d Lose” sounds like a perfect song for driving on a lost highway with the truck windows down.
“Good Night, Sleep Tight, I’m Gone” showcases the gritty Boxmasters sound where the rhythm section emits a unmistakable groove. “I Need The Rain” marries timeless lyrics with a masterful sonic swing and emotive guitar hook.
“Sole” ranks as one of Love & Hate‘s finest songs. Hardy’s melodic bass drives the glorious tune as Thornton sings: “No one can know what’s in the others souls/Each mind punches their stories full of holes/Talking out loud’s reputations overblown/Crying inside is just something we own.” J.D. Andrew and Kirk McKim weave their vintage guitar tones around this stellar track like some musical tapestry recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, during 1970.
“Your Eyes” maintains the cohesion of the album and surely will cause folks to dance. “I Don’t Want You Anymore” ends the 42-minute Love & Hate with a venomous guitar bite that delivers no soft-hearted nonsense: “I’m sure you’ve waited in madness grasping the phone/But you’ll never get through to this heart of stone.”
The Boxmasters’ Love & Hate In Desperate Places hits you like a shot of high-grade whiskey during a full moon on Friday night. The Boxmasters are a well-traveled, gifted band of original songwriters that you should listen to at home and enjoy a live show out on the road. We’re lucky to have them.
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