Rock It Down to My House

Unlike Hank Williams, Jr., who made a deliberate attempt early in his career to mimic his father's vocal style, Justin Tubb did not try to sound like his father, Ernest Tubb. The younger Tubb had a more modern approach to country music as he specialized in lightly humorous songs and novelties, later weaving in rock & roll and even skiffle influences. Rock It Down to My House compiles his complete Decca recordings from 1953-1959, including his three hits for the label: "I Gotta Go Get My Baby," "Looking Back to See" and "Sure Fire Kisses," the latter two of which are duets with Goldie Hill. Also present are his well-regarded forays into rockabilly, "Pepper Hot Baby" and the title track, as well as previously unreleased entries such as "Bachelor Man." "Mine Is a Lonely Life," from 1958, pairs Tubb with Roger Miller on one of the latter artist's earliest recordings, and Tubb clearly has fun with his irreverent, up-tempo remake of his father's hit "You Nearly Lose Your Mind." Tubb wrote a great deal of his own material and went on to become a successful Nashville songwriter in the '60s, so his talent extends far beyond merely being Ernest Tubb's son. As a complete recordings anthology, Rock It Down to My House is exhaustive in its scope and targeted toward collectors, but is full of enjoyable recordings that any enthusiast of '50s country music could love.