The cover of my second helping from the gravel voiced Dave Arcari and his Radiotones shows the effects of too much demon alcohol, but I get the feeling that there isn't much about the Drink Aware campaign in effect on this CD.
Starting with a lonesome slide guitar, the CD opens with the relatively gentle "Don't Stop". This track finds Dave singing low and in an introspective mood. Adding some colour are the harp solos, during which the bass picks up the pace before settling back to a more laconic pace for the verses.
With no drummer on the CD, the arrangements are stripped to the bone. Dave's slide driven dobro sets the pace, underpinned by Adrian Paterson's bass and Jim Harcus' righteous harp rides high over the top of the proceedings. Central to the Radiotones sound are, of course, Dave's gruff vocals, which are enough to scare James Hetfield or Lemmy. This time around Dave's voice sounds slightly abrasive in the stark and exposed arrangements on the CD.
Further into the CD the 'Tones (that's still Mr Arcari to you though!) take the minimalist arrangement ethos one step further, as Jim Harcus pulls out a hot harp solo on Cool It, backed only by Adrian Paterson's manic walking bass.
Although not as satisfying as its successor, Bound To Ride, Whisky'd Up still does the job. My own personal taste aside, the bare and live sound on this CD may well be more to your liking than the more electric production on Bound To Ride, so it's a bit like comparing Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. Pass the bottle …