“To Hell With You” from The Krew

Temptation and temptress – that’s the reason for a rockin’, if not for a devilishly good time in the rock-bluegrass-blues song, “To Hell With You” from The Krew. Fans of southern rock will flock to this Utah-based band. Yes, you read that right – a band from Salt Lake City is carrying the torch for blues-rock, bluegrass-laced songs.

“To Hell With You” showcases The Krew’s strong song foundation with some mighty dance-worthy riffs. This song gets you moving and it gets your toes-tapping. Singer/songwriter Jhonny K (not sure why he spells his first name that way, but go with it), paints the picture of a guy sitting in the church pew connecting with a beautiful woman. As the song carries on, so does the honesty of the song’s protagonist. He’s not so innocent himself: Her eyes hit mine like a neon sign, I keep it cool but I’m fighting fire…I got some darks spots painted on my heart, I’d do anything to make them white…cause if you don’t go to heaven, then I’ll go to hell with you.”

I kept stumbling on the way he wrote “I got some dark spots painted in my heart, I’d do anything to make them white” and I felt like he was trying to say, “forgive me” and “what can I do to make up for my past sins.” I don’t think this is a Christian song – and while it plays on the “devil” and “heaven” I think the universal them is be a good person. And, sometimes we’re attracted to our opposites. Not all the time. And, I’m sure folks of heard that good girls like bad boys. As humans we find ourselves struggling to maintain our own identity, and for some in relationships, they will do whatever they can to mimic or change to become how the other person is. I really don’t think Jhonny K was meaning all this when he wrote the lyrics, but it’s fine to fall down the rabbit hole of what means what. “To Hell With You” has depth to it, but not on the level of an R.E.M or The Smiths song.

The Krew don’t come in all-a-thundering in “To Hell With You”. It’s more of a revival of southern rock and a Friday night fun get-together song. I could imagine this song on a soundtrack of a fun romantic-comedy flick, or even a montage scene in a sitcom. It’s fun and at its core, it’s innocent. I liked how Jhonny K brings the listener in with little teasers and finds a way to make the overall sound strong – the guitar riffs, the banjo brushes, incredible drums and solid bass have a strong showing. What is missing, and the backing music more than makes up for this, are some melodies.

Overall, “To Hell With You” gains high marks for its rockin’ tempo and high grades for being memorable. It’s a great song to get your dancing kicks accomplished and boy-oh-boy that banjo sound is killer. The Krew taps into the heart, the body and the mind with this one!

Mindy McCall