Album Review – The Doohickeys – “All Hat No Cattle”


#578.5 (Comedic Country) on the Country DDS.

Some folks forget that comedy in some ways is just as integral to the classic versions of country music as fiddle and steel guitar. It’s just that all of these elements have been forsaken by certain modern versions of commercial country. Country music duo The Doohickeys don’t need a history lesson though. They’re here to inject all of these elements back into the country music conversation in clever songs that are decidedly country, and that include a cool, modernly informed perspective.

Not quite as cornpone is Gary Mule Deer, but nowhere near as raunchy as Wheeler Walker Jr., The Doohickeys find the comedic sweet spot where a swear word or two might make it through, but innuendo is also employed so it’s a bit more intellectually stimulating. It’s smart, but makes damn sure to not take itself too seriously. The opening song to their debut album “Rein It In Cowboy” has some sarcasm and attitude to it. But overall it’s just a great country song to listen to.

From there the debut Doohickeys album called All Hat No Cattle is full of silly songs that feature serious country instrumentation. Some are full of one side-splitting line after another like “I Wish My Truck Was Bigger,” others will be super relatable to certain folks like “I Don’t Give A Damn About Football,” while a song like “Farm Lawyer” conveys a deeper message and meaning about eminent domain.

Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett are from Missouri and Georgia respectively, where they both inherited a love of country music. They actually met while both attending USC in California studying film, and working on a satirical news program together. That’s one of the reasons this album and their often hilarious social media content take on a decidedly cinematic and comedic aspect. It also includes ample self-awareness of who they are and where this project is from, while also being willing to call out the fake cowboys of country cosplay.


What’s real as rain is the pickers they assembled to flesh out their concept with producer Eric Corne. It’s some of the top talent in West Coast country, including Dwight Yoakam’s guitarist for the last decade, Eugene Edwards, as well as Dwight’s keys player Skip Edwards. They also enlisted fiddle player Aubrey Richmond who’s known for working with Shooter Jennings, and Adam Arcos who’s played bass for Whitey Morgan. If you’re going to make a country album, you might as well make it right. That’s what The Doohickeys did.

What they also do right is all the skits and “content” they create for social media as part of this project, which along with being funny as all get out, often includes smart commentary on the economic hardships facing many young people, and the wild realities facing the music industry today. All this stuff is very much part of The Doohickeys experience.

As great as the concept and the execution is with this album itself, it also feels a little nascent, while some of the songwriting is undercooked. When it works, it works. But sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes comedy songs lose their zeal once you’ve heard the punchline before. But even though this is a silly project, it’s good enough to be taken seriously, by both the audience, and by The Doohickeys. They’re the kind of oddball stuff country needs more of, while still showcasing quality talent, including the singing voice of Haley Spence Brown.

Maybe this will be one of those one and done albums recorded on a lark, and we’ll wonder where The Doohickeys went years from now. Or maybe they will go on to become the next great country music comedic duo, reviving an art form that has been lost in time. Either way, you appreciate the recess from overly sentimental 30-track songwriter albums and throwback country weepers that The Doohickeys supply here.

Album score = 7.9/10

Overall concept + social media presence = 8.5/10

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Purchase from Forty Below Records


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