All Jacked Up

Redneck rocker Gretchen Wilson works hard, plays harder

By Lori Hoffman

She is classic country to be sure, acknowledging her appreciation of Loretta Lynn during her up-tempo set Saturday night at the Hilton. She also plugged her upcoming album I Got Your Country Right Here, by calling it southern rock from a female perspective.

Even since she broke into the charts with the blast of country fun “Rednecked Woman,” Wilson has stayed true to her country-rock roots. That makes her stage show a night of party music from the opening blast of “Here For The Party,”  through “I Got Your Country Right Here,” “All Jacked Up” (complete with shots of Jack Daniels) and a couple of classic-rock cuts, “Hot Blooded” and “Barracuda.”

From the preview she provided from her new album, including the title track, “Work Hard, Play Harder,” her latest single, and the hilarious keep-your-hands-off-my-man ditty “Don’t Make Me Take My Earrings Off,” Wilson proved that her latest album is authentic southern rock.

But if you’ve heard her previous albums, you also know that her country ballads are old school in the Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette vein. In concert she slips in just one ballad, the superb “Home Wrecker.” While I understand her desire to keep the party vibe going, her ballads are pretty good too. And her God and country side was in full view when she dedicated “Politically Uncorrect” to the soldiers in the audience, and her hot country-rock band followed that up with a guitar-riff version of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

She had the crowd all riled up for her finale of “Rednecked Woman” as all us city gals pretended we were red necked women with a few "Hell Yeahs!" We were there for the party and Gretchen Wilson did not disappoint.

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