High Hat (6 String Drag album)

Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy, under their twangtrust production name.[6][7][8] The band spent five weeks in the studio, over two sessions in late 1996 and early 1997.[9]

The songs were written or cowritten by frontman Kenny Roby.[10] "Over & Over" incorporates elements of Dixieland music.[11] "Ghost" was recorded live, in one take.[9] Earle guested on "I Can't Remember".[12]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
The Baltimore Sun	[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[14]
Orlando Sentinel	[15]
St. Paul Pioneer Press	[16]
The State	[17]

The Chicago Reader determined that "the tunes are catchy and the execution is succinct, and while singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Kenny Roby has yet to develop a distinct musical personality, he’s got the raw material to do so: his nasal croon carries him from fragile ballads into full-tilt rockers and his hooks sink in."[18] The Washington City Paper concluded: "Like the Bottle Rockets, 6 String Drag plays country-tinged rock not only for the meaning but for the fun of it. In a Son Volt world, that’s a big deal; better to err on the side of the lightweight, as High Hat occasionally does, than to romanticize 12-pack-sodden gloom."[19]

The Orlando Sentinel labeled "Elaine" "a pretty pop tune vaguely reminiscent of both Roy Orbison and the Everlys."[15] Stereo Review stated that "6 String Drag fits into the alt-rock category but moves away from boring melodies, cryptic lyrics. and half-dead vocals to fuse a rootsrock/country fest of infectious hooks and literate writing that is not just winning but inspiring."[20] The State deemed it "a gritty, rough-around-the-edges record that crackles with instrumental spontaneity and hearty singing."[17] The St. Paul Pioneer Press praised the "endearing Junior Brown-goofiness."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "6 String Drag expands their sound to include the influences of Dixieland and Stax/Volt-era soul; combined with their already impressive grasp of country and rock, High Hat is an exciting crazy-quilt of styles."[13] Reviewing the 2018 reissue, Goldmine called High Hat "one of alt-country’s cornerstone albums."[21]