Fool's Paradise

Few musicians are as synonymous with heavy metal as Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister. But long time fans know that ol' Lemmy has tackled other styles over the years, including British Invasion pop (as part of the Rockin' Vicars) and space rock (as part of Hawkwind). Additionally, Lemmy has covered a few country and/or rockabilly tunes over the years, including a metallic version of "Stand By Your Man," Carl Perkins' "Matchbox," and Johnny Cash's "Big River." So it shouldn't come as a surprise that in the early 21st century, Lemmy launched a rockabilly side project, the Head Cat. Taking a break from his beloved Rickenbacker bass, Lemmy handles vocals (which resemble little of the throaty growl of his Motorhead work), acoustic guitar, and harmonica duties, and is joined by ex-Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and lead guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Danny B. Harvey. As evidenced by their 2006 debut, Fool's Paradise, the trio is one rockin' good time -- a much needed antidote to the computer/software enhanced state of popular music. Expectedly, this isn't going to melt your speakers upon first listen like Ace of Spades did all those years ago. That said, it's certainly a worthwhile listen for die-hard fans to hear Lemmy tackle covers of some of his favorite standards -- "Not Fade Away," "Well All Right," as well as the two aforementioned tracks, "Big River" and "Matchbox." ~ Greg Prato