From the very first utterance of the name ‘Honky Mofo' you will think to yourself; ‘Joke band? No Talent? Bloodhound Gang wannabes' – I can understand this train of thought. However you are forgiven as I can unveil that; while some of that is on occasion true – this record is actually quite deeply layered with samples, musical creativity and an upbeat tongue in cheek humour.

This is the rather oddball yet entertaining creation of Ricky Wolking who wrote and arranged the majority of the songs – bar a couple and the potent cover of; ‘Planet Of Sound'. Honky Mofo possesses a huge collaboration list that must certainly feature a whole host of fellow musicians and friends. Upon hearing this record you can help but be envious of the fun this group of people must have had during the conception of this album. The human beatbox backed redneck hip-hop of; ‘Redneck 2002' is absolutely delightful with the odd country guitar lick and a great original structure. There is plenty of fun being poked at white trash America and with lines like; ‘Yeah, and she's your sister too' it certainly doesn't do so with any degree of good taste.

‘White Cracker Trash' is clever lyrically but is unfortunately let down by a disappointing chorus. Much like the feel good yet forgettable; ‘El Dramino Queen' – that is in some ways saved by its breakdown in the last minute or so. This is in direct contrast with the delightful ballad entitled; ‘Sandra' with plenty of vocal effects and a really melodic progression of catchy melodies. The faux R n' B of; ‘J Lo' is driven by a supremely catchy backing track until the fantastically bouncy chorus kicks in.

Ricky Wolking certainly loves to play around with various genres throughout this record. He also indulges in the odd spoken word joke track. The most memorable being; ‘Honey Donut' as a Japanese internet date explains how her online lover wanted to put his ‘chocolate in her peanut butter'. The fantastic party song; ‘Chocolate' opens with its huge bass vibe and complex but brilliantly written vocal tradeoffs. ‘Sexymamasuperflywhitegirl' is a laid back acoustic track with country influences. Alas it feels way too drawn out at 4 minutes with little changing structurally.

The bounding punk rock of; ‘Zac Crain' & the intense yet unmistakable catchy ‘Monkey Song' bring the record to a fun close. Honky Mofo is an extremely fun record – perfect for parties. While it has its successes and failures there are some extremely distinctive and original songs throughout that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. There is an utterly sonic delivery here that will have you jumping for toy – as the talented and creative Mr. Wolking enchants and amuses at almost every turn. Just don't expect a strong overall consistency.

Standout Tracks: ‘Redneck 2002', ‘Chocolate' & ‘J Lo'.

- Liam Thomson (State of Emergency)

Klinkt als: Beck krijgt klappen van Kid Rock

Als je houdt van: Yeah babe Yeah!!!

- Staff (Luister Retecool)

Is Ricky Wolking a super genius? The jury's out but the man sure knows how to make a killer record. Written, performed and produced by Wolking with a handful of good buds, Honky Mofo is a non-stop sonic party monster. Weezer , 311, Sublime, Beck, Beastie Boys, Smash Mouth, Prince, Kid Rock and Foo Fighters all wield their mega-unit-shifting influence on this industry weasel's wet dream; pick a radio market and Wolking's poised to conquer it. Shit, the guy even covers a Pixies tune! Honky Mofo is wildly eclectic, ruthlessly grooving, relentlessly silly, often profane yet musically sophisticated, even virtuosic; if Frank Zappa came up in the '90s, he'd sound like this. Lotsa bands aim for the bleachers and go down swinging. This mofo swats it into the parking lot.

- Staff (Demo Universe)

Wolking seems to take a cue from the mighty Beck, in that he does several different musical genres, including soul, rap, rock and pop, yet none of them sound contrived or stupid. When I speak of Beck, I'm referring to his Mellow Gold and Odelay albums, the ones where he seems to show the most musical diversity. Wolking works in similar fashion on Honky Mofo, with the most memorable tracks being the melodic pop-rock of "Sandra," the hilarious rap of "Redneck 2002" and my personal favorite, "White Cracker Trash."

Fans of Beck will absolutely go nuts over this album, as will fans of Dead Milkmen, Barenaked Ladies and Kid Rock (some of Wolking's rockier stuff kind of sounds like Kid Rock's rockier songs). The beats here are big, the guitars are very crisp and clean, Wolking is both a hilarious lyricist and a really good singer, and the recording quality is absolutely stellar. I will be surprised if this guy is still unknown two or three years from now. I can't recommend this one enough. Just give it a whirl, and you'll be shakin' your booty, laughing and totally enjoying yourself.

- Daniel Mitchell (ink 19)

- Cristy (Score)

Upon first glance, this whole "honky mofo" thing really rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed stupid, silly, and a little too self-indulgent. Too much humor, and not enough music to back it up. I mean, it's tough enough to make this theme stuff work, and even harder to pull off the humor in the music, and make it more than a stupid inside frat joke. However, after listening to the album- I now think Ricky Wolking is a friggin' genius!

This album is incredibly new and refreshing. It's a little Prince, jamming with the Beastie Boys, playing with Spacehog, Bob Schneider, and Victor Wooten - and absolutely zero part "suck." The performances are amazing, the bass playing is awesome (c'mon check Ricky's credentials) and the songwriting is amazingly unique. Some of his arrangements are a bit agressive upon first listen, but others land absolutely spot on. For example, "J-Lo" is a great, great pop song. Hoppy and funky - that one stays in my player, period. It's a full-on hook attack, and if you enjoy funky, funny pop, you will love this song. On the flip side, "Planet of Sound" and "The Monkey Song" end up being more noise than groove, and only seem to fit due to the highly eclectic nature of the album to begin with. Other tunes, such as "Franks and Beans" utilize great sounding drum loops, very funny samples, and inventive background keyboard sounds to actually do something (gasp!) new. I love it!

Frankly, for some of you, this will take some adjustment before you can listen to this. But trust me - give it a chance. This album will stretch you in a good way, and make you enjoy music again in ways you probably didn't know you could...at least, not since your last "Staind" purchase. Oh, and one more thing, do NOT sit down while listening to this. You must be standing and ready to shake ass to fully enjoy this one.

- Mark Walters (Dallastexasmusic.com)

Any record that leads off with redneck rap (that's so ridiculous it embarrasses the listener) is lucky to get past track one, but Ricky turns out to be a man for all seasons: he's equally adept at aping Korn, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Prince, Beck, N'Sync and probably some other fabulous radio stars I don't recognize. He doesn't, however, seem to have much inclination toward punk, ska, (actual) metal or anything else that might suggest sending a copy to a mag like this. Note to Ricky: Honky Mofo is a demo CD. Send it to record labels, not us.

- Cuss Baxter (Razorcake)

Everything about this package dared me to hate it. But surprise! Honky Mofo’s debut is a delightfully raucous, rowdy experience. Perhaps best pegged as trailer-trash hip-hop, the record is chockfull of frenetic, sampledelic, self-explanatory tracks like “Redneck 2002” and “Sexymamasuperflywhitegirl.” Check out the twisted doo-wop of “Sandra,” the catchy collage “Yes … No … Maybe,” the Pixies-ish “The Monkey Song” or the driving fury of “Chocolate” (“I put my chocolate in your peanut butter!” ). If Beck were the product of inbreeding, well … Honky Mofo, chil’en.

- Rod Lott (Hitch Magazine)

If we could judge the album based on originality alone, Honky Mofo would deserve a 5 hands down. The album is very diverse in sound—including its usage of instruments, samples, and lyrics. There is an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from 1950’s-style sock-hop ballads, jazzy beat-boxing raps, country guitar jams, and hardcore rock slams. The album gives you a taste of the array of musical influences that the lead singer had while migrating around different trailer parks as an army child.
One of my favorites on the album is Sandra, an Oldie-type lullaby love song, which is contrasted nicely by more modern electric guitars and a synthesized wavering of the singer’s voice, similar to the way Kid Rock sounds in his ballad, Only God Knows Why. If you like Sugar Ray, then you would enjoy the track, Sexymamasuperflywhitegirl, which sounds almost identical to Sugar Ray’s hit Someday. The lyrics are original, however, painting the picture of a man proposing to a girl under the blue Carolina sky on a hot summer day. The song does take a turn for the worst, however, when it switches gear into a louder chaotic sound that is antithetical to the rest of the song.

The album also features a few fun songs, which mock the lifestyle of the stereotypical trailer park redneck, including Redneck 2002 and White Cracker Trash, where he spits out lyrics like “My brother’s got three kids and my sister rides a donkey…” He also interweaves a variety of samples that lead into the lyrics making for clever wordplay. For example, in the song Franks and Beans, you hear the voice-over of that phrase from the movie There’s Something About Mary, which is then followed by the lyric, “That gives you food for thought”.

Where the album falls a little short, is in the sound of the singer’s voice, which at times is muffled, screechy and incoherent. And, it could do with less hardcore metal influence, and more of a groovy funk persuasion, where the sound mirrors the styles of Sublime or 311. Overall, I’d have to say this album is good because it dares to be different.

- Ebony-Anne Smith (Privy Magazine)

Thirty-seven minutes and 48 seconds of stupid-ass white cracker trash rap music. I love it. This is what plastic should be used for. Honkies rapping and throwin' out rhymes so fly and sick that you'll feel like shaking your groove thang. If you can resist movin' to track 9, "Franks & Beans", you must be in a coma or just really, really white. This rocks.

- Marty Kelley (Impact Press)

This disc hit like a semi…wait a minute, I mean a runaway train. Ricky Wolking is the master mofo, and he’s definitely pure freaking genius. Wolking is a - 100% trailer park white trash redneck rap’n straight out of the loony bin - local boy. You heard me right Honky Mofo is out of Dallas, and if you buy this CD you’ll be at Mofo’s every show. Honkey Mofo goes much further than rap covering every thing from disco to metal. "Sexy Mama Super Fly White Girl" is like a Sugar Ray, dreamy guitar top 40 hit, and "Planet Of Sound" and "the Monkey Song" are industrial punk rockers. There’s also "J-Lo" a modern day dance number. All these tunes have great melodies, grooves, riffs and poetic lyrics, such as on "Zac Crain," the jingle states, ‘He pioneered the way they write about shows. Nobody’s ever seen him because he never goes’. Ricky Wolking is the lord of the mix and Honkey Mofo is another fine display of how awesome the Dallas music scene is.

- Angus MacMannus (Harder Beat)

Of all the CDs to come across my desk of late, this one is by far the most fun. Honky Mofo is the creation/alter ego of one Ricky Wolking, who you might be familiar with from his time with The Nixons. But you better just put all that aside, because The Nixons is only the starting point here. This CD explodes in so many directions at once, it's nearly impossible to know where to start.

The beginning will work - 16 seconds of the cutesy 'Cuppy Cake', which swings into 'Redneck 2002' featuring the goofiest human beatbox since 'Freak On A Leash'. This one also reveals that Ricky's got some pretty good flow for a, well, honky. The tone is set - this entire album is a mix-master of genres and styles, and the mind-boggling thing is that all the styles show up all at once.

'El Draino Queeno' welds serious guitar skronk to pure pop melody, and it's such an inprobable pairing that it works like a champ. There's a lot of that sort of stuff on this album - 'Sandra' is reminiscent of Jellyfish with its 50s-innocent verse and kick-in-the-gut chorus.

'Chocolate' takes those peanut butter cup commercials of a few years ago and turns them into something nasty. 'Franks & Beans' raises comparisons with Primus, from both the absurdist lyrics and the Ricky's slippery bass work, which is top-drawer throughout.

You gotta love an album that has a love song to J-Lo (called - what else? - 'J-Lo'), bites 'Take The Money And Run' and Sling Blade, and name-drops Ace Frehley. But that ain't all! You also get mutant pop like the Prince-ly 'Sexymamasuperflywhitegirl' and a cover of The Pixies' 'Planet Of Sound' that would do Black Francis himself proud. Add stuff like the psycho-garage rock of 'Monkey Song' and you got yourself a meal, podna!

The album's closer is 'Zac Crain', about a Dallas music critic who got on the wrong side of The Nixons, and Ricky's back-handed 'tribute' has a topping of sarcasm so thick you can cut it with a chain saw. If I was a stock broker, I'd give this one a 'strong buy' recommendation - you're not gonna find this type of genre-busting, ass-kicking, totally fly shit in just any trailer park, y'know.

- Don Waller (Blah 3)

I have certain expectations when I stop by the post office to check Earpollution mail. There will be the regular packages that aren't addressed to anyone in particular and there will be the personalized missives from artists and labels trying to link their sound up with a specific reviewer's style. As I'm listening to Honky Mofo's self-titled record, I'm trying to figure out what signals I've given off over the years that led Ricky Wolking (the trailer park mastermind behind this collection of songs) to decide I was his man.

I'm not saying he missed his mark; I just hadn't realized I flaunted a soft spot for hillbilly funk so plainly. The hillbilly in question here has evidently grown up on the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, and the Pixies. He starts off Honky Mofo with two anthems for the double-wide set, "Redneck 2002" and "White Cracker Trash," and then it is a south of the border visit while Weezer and the Afghan Whigs play on the radio for "El Draino Queeno" and "Sandra."

Wolking's influences are all over the map, a dispersion he attributes to frequent relocations during his army brat childhood to places like Okinawa, Hawaii, California, Washington D.C., Florida and Illinois. The songs will occupy the same place in your heart where you make room for Mojo Nixon or King Missile and, just as you think you've got him pegged as a white-trash wonderboy, he'll pull something like the Paisley Park-influenced "J Lo" and "Sexymanasuperflywhitegirl" and actually come off as heartfelt in his adoration.

It's hick-hop really. But with surprisingly good production values and a certain flair with the cut and paste function of his editing software. Just goes to show, you never know what the mail will bring. There are certainly enough artists out there struggling to bleed and emote for their art that it is about time we had a guy who doesn't care much about all that. Wolking is out to restore some -- well, I was going to say "dignity" -- to the trailer park, but that's not the right word. As I listen to his cover of the Pixies "Planet of Sound," the word I'm looking for comes to mind. "Enthusiam." My earholes have been tickled.

- Mark Teppo (Ear Pollution)