Philadelphia Weekly Review
October 17, 2001
by Hobart Rowland

Jesse Dayton may not be the baddest apple in the bunch, but as his rowdy rockabilly turn with the Road Kings proves, he can play the wounded rebel better than most. With a guest list that includes Mandy Barnett, Flaco Jimenez, Jim Lauderdale and the Dixie Chicks, Hey Nashvegas! tackles everything from city-slick honky tonk ("Never Been Too Good at Goodbyes") and swing ("Panhandle Jane") to rock-skewed country ("Date With the Angels," Lauderdale's "I Dream Too"). But the slow numbers -- lush, reflective, produced with an airy restraint -- are the real meat of Dayton's third solo album.

To his credit, Dayton has logged more miles than his baby-faced mug and refined vocal delivery let on. And much like fellow Texas crooner George Jones - Dayton's primary stylistic model -- he makes a convincing argument that hard living is as noble a pursuit as any. "I walked into a whole lotta bars/Even crawled out of a few/Speeding tickets on an ol' shovelhead/Well, never ran worth a damn," Dayton sings on "Never Started Living (Until I Started Loving You)." Controlled, nuanced and reeking of regret, it's easily his most accomplished performance on a handful of stunning ballads that give Hey Nashvegas! its emotional depth and flawed grace. In the end, Dayton's willingness to set aside his ego and pick through the sometimes ugly details of a life lived far short of perfection saves Hey Nashvegas! from being yet another well meaning, retrofitted genre exercise.