Ronnie Dawson

Ronnie Dawson, the 60-year-old rockabilly cat behind the song “Rockin’ Bones,” is back with a zippy album of songs about being bad. It’s clear that this guy in it for life, despite his career being side-tracked by the ‘50s payola scandal. More Bad Habits is pure Stratocaster-driven country rock with, as the title suggests, a focus on eating too much, drinking too much, and too much lovin’. Ronnie’s guitar sound, mixed with the lyrical content, makes one wonder if Southern Culture on the Skids haven’t taken a cue or two from him. The whole album is consistently good, but the Tex-Mex boogie of “Chili Pepper Mama,” the swampy tremolo tones of “Waxahachie Drag Race,” and the spooky graveyard sounds of “Rockin’ Calaveras” stand out. On the back of the CD cover there’s a personal message from Ronnie that he’s going to be around and rockin’ for another 100 years, and if this record is any indication, he just might.