Hank III

In the Williams clan of country heroes, Hank III has had the toughest time. From being forced to prove he doesn't suck as much as his father while proving worthy of his granddaddy's legacy to struggling to emerge from country's massive shadow and into his preferred punk/metal groove, let alone dealing with enough personal woes to fill a lifetime of therapy sessions, it's a wonder he prevails. Still, many of those trials and tribulations resulted in little more than passable albums, save 2006's brilliant Straight To Hell. Even 2008's Damn Right, Rebel Proud was a confused bout of reactionary babbling. However, with resounding prowess, personal comfort and obvious confidence bursting out of Rebel Within, Hank III has finally come to terms with everything. Fuelled by powerful choruses, crafty songwriting, impeccable musicianship and an overall sense of liberation, coupled with his inimitable rebel spirit, the album's 11 songs simply glow and are his most accomplished, dynamic and intelligently guttural works yet. The randy fun of "Getting' Drunk And Fallin' Down" settles into "Lookin' For A Mountain," with its calm shuffle, before aggressive ripper "Tore Up And Loud" shocks us back to reality, assuring that Rebel Within is the most complete, capable and complex usage of Hank III's inherent crossover tendencies to date.