Ray Wylie Hubbard Tells the Full Story on ‘Reel 2 Reel 4 Real’ » PopMatters

Ray Wylie Hubbard claims that Reel 2 Reel 4 Real will be his final album. If so, that’s fair enough. The singer-songwriter will turn 80 this fall, and this album makes his 20th full-length release, giving him two nice round numbers to end on (he’ll still put out singles, he says). His statement’s hard to believe, though, because as he rocks through Texas and southern swamps, he doesn’t sound like someone running out of steam. That point would be almost noteworthy if he hadn’t been consistently at the top of his game for the last couple of decades; Reel 2 Reel 4 Real should be a continuation, not a capstone.

If it is the end, Hubbard throws a twist by looking back to the early days with opening number “Cassette Mix Tape”. You don’t have to be 80 to remember cassette mix tapes, but it doesn’t hurt. Here he tells the tale of a (literally) seminal teenage escapade. With a steady country rock groove, Hubbard recounts the time he and a friend picked up a couple of girls for a night of sex.

The lasciviousness remains, but Hubbard soundtracks the night by listing the artists that played on the radio, including Golden Earring, Neil Young, Bob Seger, and the Rolling Stones. It’s an appropriate playlist. While Hubbard has always fallen more into the Americana side of songwriting, he always brings a distinctly rock ‘n’ roll edge to his work, and that’s noticeably part of Reel 2 Reel 4 Real.

He can switch up moods with no problem, though, as on the country blues of “Look What the Cat Drug In”. Over the steady groove, Hubbard puts out a warning as comical as it is knowing. He tells us to watch out for prostitutes and “rogues” and anyone who “can’t account for their underclothes”, but it’s hard not to feel the draw of this world of scammers and reprobates.

Even so, it’s a sincere warning, one that pairs well with “El Diablo Está Ganando”. Hubbard worries that the devil is indeed winning, and he notes that his “faith is held together with a safety pin”. These are hard, dangerous times, and Hubbard runs a line from early blues to his 80th year, all with a clear vision.

He doesn’t stray far from that musical knowledge, as when he references JJ Cale on “She Plays ‘Crazy Mama’”. The song nods to the blues, but largely to ground a woman’s story in her hard life. Hubbard writes and sings with empathy, supported by a quiet female vocalist. He recorded that song, along with “The Night”, with Mike Campbell (the Heartbreakers, the Dirty Knobs), and it’s a nice pair to finish on.

After the hurt of “She Plays ‘Crazy Mama’”, Hubbard hits a riff that would have worked for the Heartbreakers, closing on a heartland rocker in which he explains, “Didn’t have any faith, I got a little hope / But when the sun goes down it’s a slippery slope.” Hubbard goes from night to night, covering decades, with the same enthusiasm and insight. Ray Wylie Hubbard says it’s the last full hurrah, but fans should keep a little hope of their own that it isn’t.