Saturday Shuffle: Jackson Taylor, A7X, Nightwish, Hank Jr., Anthrax

A little country, a little rock 'n' roll, and a drum interlude to end...

Jackson Taylor and the Sinners, “Country Song.” From the album Aces n Eights (2009). This song was my introduction to Jackson Taylor and the reason I’m a fan. I’d taken my kid bowling one day and sat through at least a half dozen country radio songs about pickup trucks. Later that night, I discovered this song by accident, and I was hooked. The video, which features Taylor and his band in corpse paint, is a hoot, too.

Avenged Sevenfold, “Unholy Confessions.” From the album Waking the Fallen (2004). It’s a shuffle for introductory songs. I remember hearing this song back when it was released and going out and finding this record immediately. Granted, I didn’t like the rest of it as much as this song, and the output of the band over the years has been up and down for me. Still love this one, though.

Nightwish, “Ghost River.” From the album Imaginaerum (2012). I’m one of those few people that prefer the Annette Olzon version of Nightwish to the Tarja Turunen version. I’m not entirely fond of the soprano female metal vocalist, and I thought Annette brought a little more rock. Imaginaerum also may be my favorite Nightwish record, and this is one of the better songs on it. It’s heavy, a little spooky and has a fantastic chorus.

Hank Williams Jr., “You Win Again.” From the album Old School, New Rules (2012). Despite the presence of a few good songs, this album was largely a pandering political piece that fell flat. When he wasn’t spouting his political views, Bocephus showed that there were still a few good songs left in him, which made it even sadder. This cover of one of his father’s pieces, which he’s performed many times over the years, was one of the better performances on the record.

Anthrax, “Hymn 2.” From the album Worship Music (2011). So this short drum piece is really just filler on the band’s surprisingly good Worship Music record, but I did say I was going to include every song I hit. Does nothing for me, really, but there you have it.