Out of Hand

Along with Merle Haggard's Back to the Barrooms and Joe Ely's Honky Tonk Masquerade, this is the separate but equal third element of honky tonk's unholy trinity. While the album is called Out of Hand, it could just as easily have been named after its first cut, "Drinkin' Thing." Released in 1975 at the height of outlaw country's boom and the Texas songwriters' heyday, Stewart was in Nash Vegas cutting one of the most amazing collections of unruly drinking songs in country music history. From the opening "Drinkin' Thing" to an absolutely rocking version of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonkin'," the pace is set to go and the joint is set to blow. And whether it's a ballad like "I See the Want to in Your Eyes" or "Backslider's Wine," or a raw-bone stomper like the title track or "Sweet Country Red," the performance is inspired by a deep hedonism that only the most recklessly astute musicians would be sensitive enough to pull off. Add to this the greatest drinking song title ever, "She's Actin' Single, I'm Drinkin' Doubles," and you have a recording that is indispensable for roots music fans of any stripe. A strong case could be made for Out of Hand as one of the Top 100 country records of all time. It might be in this writer's Top Ten!