Oak Ridge Boys tackle White Stripes on new album

By JOHN GEROME – 3 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The melody is dark, ominous and unmistakable to any rock fan: "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. But this isn't Jack and Meg White. It's the Oak Ridge Boys. The vocal quartet best known for their country and gospel songs get edgy on their new CD, "The Boys Are Back." Besides the White Stripes, the Oaks cover John Lee Hooker ("Boom, Boom") and Neil Young ("Beautiful Bluebird").

"If there's something I could compare this to it would be what Johnny Cash did in the later part of his career," bass Richard Sterban said recently of Cash's recordings with rock/rap producer Rick Rubin. "I think the approach we used was very similar to that."

The quartet isn't totally going rock. The album has plenty of gospel and country songs, too, including tunes penned by Jamey Johnson and Shooter Jennings. Jennings, the son of the late Waylon Jennings and a country rocker in his own right, initiated the project. He invited them to sing with him on his 2007 album "The Wolf," introduced them to his producer, David Cobb, and asked them to perform at one of his shows.

"The place was jam packed with kids, much younger than we normally draw at this stage of our career," Sterban recalled. "We did 'Elvira' (their 1981 hit) and the kids knew every word. They were signing 'Oom papa mow mow' along with me.'" Pretty soon the group was heading into the studio with Cobb, who had them improvising, experimenting with different sounds and covering songs they never would have thought of.

"He challenged us," Sterban said. "At this stage of our career, we figured why not? We have nothing to lose." The move isn't completely out of step for the Oak Ridge Boys, which also include Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall and William Lee Golden. They began as a gospel group, crossed over to country and pop and recorded with artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Paul Simon, Johnny Cash and Brenda Lee.

Still, with songs like "Seven Nation Army," they're catching fans off guard at their shows.
"A lot of times they'll sit there with their mouths open. They can't believe we're doing this," Sterban said. And that's a good thing, Sterban said, because it shows the Oaks can still surprise — including themselves. "When I did 'Boom, Boom,' it was probably the most fun I'd ever had recording," Sterban said. "I'm a pretty straight-laced guy. But I was improvising and adding licks and having a bunch of fun."