Album Review – West of Texas – “Hot Motel Nights”

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#510.1 and #510.2 (Classic Country, Honky Tonk) on the Country DDS.

“Put that needle on that record, listen to the story spin
Of lies and deceit, where nobody wins.”

Sad country songs are like a gift from the Almighty, always at the ready to envelop you in emotional support like a musical snuggie. Whether your love life is truly in an unsettled place or it’s cruising along in the time of wine and roses, there’s just something comforting about commiserating with someone else’s pain. And lucky for us, the potency of this exercise is timeless and inexhaustible.

Singer and songwriter Jerry Zinn records under the name West of Texas out in California, and has authored a treasure trove of these very such sad country works, specializing in the discipline no less. You have to get the sentiments just right when writing these songs of course, but the sounds have to match the words too. West of Texas gets it all pretty on the nose on the new album and second one overall, Hot Motel Nights.

West of Texas presents the misadventures of a hapless lover, shooting for women out of his league, and setting himself up for infinite failure. But like any true lovesick fool, he soldiers forward, hitting the local honky tonks to do it over and over again, believing there is a true love meant for forever out there somewhere, waiting in the glow of a neon sign. And if it never comes, there’s plenty of booze around to numb the pain.

Hot Motel Nights is one hell of a honky tonk record with excellent songs, and superb and tasty instrumentation throughout. It’s albums like these that make a strong case for the evergreen relevance of classic country music. It’s one of those records you cue up and immediately say to yourself, “Now this is what I’m talking about.”


The words are Jerry Zinn’s, though he shares a couple of co-writes with Texas’s Teri Joyce, along with Shooter Jennings bass player Ted Russell Kamp. Kamp also co-produces the album with Zinn. Jeremy Long plays a lot of the lead and steel guitar on the album. But Caleb Melo, known for playing with Jesse Daniel, along with Muskrat Jones, known for working with most everybody, they come in with some really choice solos that shoot this album into the country music stratosphere.

Song after song satisfies your country music appetite with themes that are elemental to country music, but that come with original takes or fresh perspectives. This is the kind of sweaty, Gilley’s-inspired ’70s and ’80s honky tonk country music that bands like Midland try to emulate, but fall so short on compared to what West of Texas does.

Jerry Zinn isn’t an exceptional singer, and the slow songs aren’t complimented with immaculate, emotive crooning like you might hope. But Zinn plays the part of the heartbroken protagonist just about perfectly, and the mid tempo honky tonk songs are right in his wheelhouse.

With mastering done by Deke Dickerson, Hot Motel Nights is a strong work of the West Coast independent country scene that looks to give East Nashville and Austin a run for their money. West of Texas, there are some really excellent artists, bands, and albums that commonly get overlooked unfairly. Hot Motel Nights should not be one of them.

1 3/4 Guns Up (8.1/10)

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