Twangin' was recorded as
Rockpile was in the process of breaking up, and the record suffered as a result. Where the previous
Rockpile collaborations were loose and rocking,
Twangin' is tight and precise, as if
Edmunds recorded it on his own. Only on "The Race Is On" does the record truly cut loose, and he's backed by
the Stray Cats on that one. Still, there are a number of fine moments on the record, particularly in the pseudo-new wave pulse of
John Hiatt's "Something Happens," the pub rock of
Mickey Jupp's "You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)," and the gorgeous
Everly-esque "(I'm Gonna Start) Living Again if It Kills Me." The rest of the record is pleasant filler which could have used some of the old
Rockpile spark. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine