The Bellamy Brothers have built a career in country music on sass and brass. For 15 years the two young wranglers from Florida have been able to walk the line between "renegade" and "respect" like a couple of circus performers.
They've had dozens of hits, ranging from the roguish "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me?" to one of the finest country songs in recent years, the "sense of place" piece "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie."In this, their latest album, the brothers offer more of the grit and good times they're known for. Again, younger brother David Bellamy had a hand in writing all the material for this release. In fact, he may be the most underrated songwriter in country music today. His strengths are a gift for a memorable pun and a clever melody; his weakness are a heavy dose of the good ole boy sexism that has pervaded country love songs since the turn of the century.
Bellamy writes from the heart, though his heart often refuses to acknowledge changing times.
In a phone interview with the Deseret News, he spoke about songwriting, singing and his loves.
"Most of the music business is just business for me," he said, "but songwriting is a relief. I enjoy it a lot. As a songwriter I just sort of jot down what I see, what I hear. I'm kind of like a musical reporter. Even my love songs are a kind of reporting."
And "Reality Check" does have a full share of "love reporting" on it. There are a couple of "social conscience" songs, but of the 10 tunes, seven deal with romance.
"I Could Be Persuaded," which David wrote with brother Howard and Don Schlitz, is the twosome's latest single. It's something of a tip-of-the-hat to the old David Houston chestnut "Almost Persuaded." The song shows that even when you're not looking for love, love sometimes taps you on the shoulder.
"Was There Life Before This Love?" is a rock-a-billy lullaby. "Forever Ain't Long Enough" is hardcore country music, a "weeper" complete with steel guitar.
But "Have a Little Compassion" may be the strongest cut here. It's a classic David Bellamy ballad, full of tenderness, word play and observations from the blue collar "man's man" world of the heart:
Let's remember the good times we had;
It's cliche, but it don't sound so bad.
Let's try to make up for the sad
With a little compassion.
"I've written a couple of things that might be considered `too sexy' to record," says Bellamy. "I've had a couple we didn't dare record. But the truth is, I usually just try to ignore everybody. We were discriminated against for so long at the beginning we almost gave up. People thought we were from Mars. So today I try not to get involved too much in all the politics of country music."
If you're a listener who keeps expecting the Bellamys to grow, experiment and change, you won't find that here. This is Howard and David doing - again - what they do best, plucking the heartstrings of working-class America.
But if that's your cup of tea, this album has your number.