By Ken Paulson
–What the Hell is Goin’ On? is one of the rarest of cover albums, with song selections so right that they don’t sound like covers at all.
Thorn’s albums – including the recent Pimps and Preachers – are filled with colorful characters and unlikely adventures, and the songs he’s selected for this project come from the same neighborhood, including Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Snake Farm” and “Jukin’” by Al Anderson, Shawn Camp and Pat McLaughlin.
The most unexpected tracks include the early Lindsey Buckingham song “Don’t Let Me Down Again” and “Walk in My Shadow,” a Free cover.
Surprisingly the album’s highlights are the two sweetest songs. “Small Town Talk” was written by Rick Danko and Bobby Charles, and recorded memorably by Jackie DeShannon in 1973 on Your Baby is a Lady. Thorn uses a lighter touch here and nicely updates this 40-year-old song.
Best of all is the beautifully down-to-earth “She’s Got a Crush on Me,” written by Donnie Fritts and Billy Lawson, and recorded by Fritts on his fine One Foot in the Groove album. Sample lyrics: “She puts peanuts in her Coke; she laughs at all my jokes.” Now that’s romance.