(Conqueroo) With last year’s self-titled debut album, the Hacienda Brothers — the band led by singers/songwriters Chris Gaffney and Dave Gonzalez — won accolades for melding stone country and old-school R&B, a mix that has been described as “Western soul.” The soul derived not only from Gonzalez’s and Gaffney’s deep R&B influences, but also from the enlistment of legendary writer/producer Dan Penn. A honky-tonk influence, along with the recording of the album in the mountains and deserts of Tucson, provided the Western feel.The band and Penn began to find their collective voice with last year’s debut, which charted Top Ten on the R&R Americana Airplay chart. The new album, titled What’s Wrong With Right — also helmed by Penn — kicks the collaboration into an even higher gear. The album, the Haciendas’ first for Proper American Recordings, is slated for June 27 release.
In addition to several stellar new Gonzalez/Gaffney originals, the album contains two “tributes” to Penn, including a redefining cover of “Cry Like A Baby” and “It Tears Me Up,” plus classics “Rebound” and “Life’s Little Ups and Downs.” There’s also a cover of Gamble & Huff’s “Cowboys To Girls,” made a hit by the Intruders in 1968.
Gonzalez and Penn first met at a festival in Europe between sets by Penn with Spooner Oldham and Gonzalez’s Paladins. Before their first collaboration, Gonzales recalls that Penn told him, “I got three rules. I don’t do nothin’ over the phone. I don’t do nothin’ over the mail, and I don’t do nothin’ over the Internet. I’m into hangin’ out.” As it turned out, Penn was particularly into hangin’ out in Tucson, which was one of the attractions of working with the Haciendas. The meeting of the minds amid the Tucson desertscape proved to be fruitful for all concerned.
Chris Gaffney split his time between Dave Alvin’s Guilty Men and his own band the Cold Hard Facts before becoming a Hacienda Brother. Cutting his teeth on the eclectic fare of Wolfman Jack on XERB before getting his start backing Webb Pearce and Ferlin Husky in a Toronto bar, explains that, “I was always a big R&B fan and I also like steel guitar, so I couldn’t see why the combination wouldn’t work.” Meanwhile, Gonzales led San Diego’s Paladins and racked up credits as a session player. He’d known Gaffney for a long time. “At first we didn’t plan on having a band – we just hung out with each other and had a mutual respect for the same music. But every time we got together, somethin’ good would come out of it.” Enter Dan Penn and the 2004 release of their debut album, and now its follow-up, What’s Wrong With Right.
“We played 300 gigs in the last two years,” adds Gonzalez. “We also took a big step with our songwriting. We’re really proud of our new record.”
