| Hybrid Vigor | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Webb Wilder |
| Border: | yes |
| Released: | 1989 |
| Genre: | Rock and roll, hard rock, roots rock |
| Label: | Island |
| Producer: | Bobby Field |
| Prev Title: | It Came from Nashville |
| Prev Year: | 1986 |
| Next Title: | Doo Dad |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
Hybrid Vigor is the second album by the American musician Webb Wilder, released in 1989.[1] [2] Wilder supported the album by touring with the Georgia Satellites.[3] The first single was "Human Cannonball", which was a hit on college radio.[4]
The album was produced by Bobby Field.[5] The majority of the songs were written by Wilder and Field.[6] Wilder aimed to make a commercial album that did not betray the sound of his debut; he also wanted to use his bigger budget to experiment in the studio.[7] [8] "Louisiana Hannah" is a cover of the Larry Williams song.[9] "Ain't That a Lot of Love" is a cover of the song made famous by Sam & Dave.[10]
The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "glorious rock 'n' roll for the misanthrope in all of us." The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "Wilder has an uncontrolled B-movie mentality that takes his Chuck Berry licks through detective thriller and Sci-Fi territory." The Edmonton Journal called Hybrid Vigor "snappy, off-the-wall, way cool hard rock written by people who know the definition of irony but also know when to lay off and simply turn the volume up."[11] Trouser Press panned the often "hellish metal-country experiment."[12]
The Globe and Mail determined that "Webb sound[s] fresh in comparison to all those other grave-robbing, heritage-hawking roots rockers."[13] The Vancouver Sun considered it "a pedal-to-the-metal blast of trashed-up rhythm and boozy rock, all nasty licks and hilarious little lyrics."[14] The Houston Chronicle noted that the album "threatens to out-Stone the Stones with its raunchy, twangy, hard-charging attack that adds up to pure unadulterated rock 'n' roll."[15]