Rumble, Shake and Tumble, the fifth release from Wagons (local Melbourne alt-country rockers), has everything a good album should; tales of love and loss, a song about country legend Willie Nelson, and songs you can shake your booty to. Producer Cornel Wilczek who produced Wagon’s The Rise and Fall of Goodtown, also lends his touch here.

Henry Wagons’ resonating, deep dulcet tones have that aural- aphrodisiac quality that permeates the record, making for some very easy listening, in the debauched sense of the word. Who knew country could be so dirty? Country is only one aspect of Wagons. Rumble, Shake and Tumble shows they can’t be pigeonholed for this genre alone, offering a multi-dimensional sound, which will appeal to a plethora of listeners.

The opening track “Downflow” is my personal favourite. It’s anthemic, with copious acoustic guitar strumming and punctuated with enough bass to get the juices flowing. “Downlow” serves as a potent teaser to listen to the following numbers on the album. “Willie Nelson” pays homage to said country star and wears its musical influences on its sleeve, tempered with steel guitar. Henry’s vocal gets a bit deeper, channelling, Barry White and Nick Cave simultaneously for “Love Is Burning” with opening lyric “sizzling, crackling, smoking, fizzling”, literally adding fuel to the listener’s fire and also an example of how far away from country the band can get. Closer “MaryLou” begins innocuously enough, as a ballad of lament, and then changes tempo with acoustic guitar and vocal towards the song’s conclusion. It’s a fitting end to an album that transcends genres and tastes, overall a strong sexy release from Melbourne lads Wagons.

Review Score: 7.5 /10