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OC WEEKLY | by Chris Ziegler, November 16, 2006
...all their own sound, a border-radio-style zigzag between soul and country and early Sun-style rock & roll done with the kind of dedication to detail that once made America great. ...five beautiful borrowed songs that fit like big sisters beside the homegrown originals, and when the Haciendas play them, they aren’t someone else’s anymore.
INDEPENDENT WEEKLY (Lafayette, LA) | by Nick Pittman, September 13, 2006
...the originals stand out for their unique merge of styles. Tracks like the title cut perfectly capture the best of both elements — weeping steel guitars evoke a smoky western saloon, and the masterfully written lyrics, co-authored by Penn and Gonzalez, are pure old-school Southern soul.
DALLAS OBSERVER | by Darryl Smyers, September 7, 2006
Dubbed "western soul," the 13 tracks are emotionally deep elegies to times when music was more about the passion than the promotion. Besides stand-out originals such as the title track and "Midnight Dream," Gaffney and Gonzalez have chosen an inspired set of covers that work seamlessly alongside their own songs. Even "Cowboys to Girls," the classic Gamble and Huff chestnut, receives the patented Hacienda pedal-steel upgrade.
NO DEPRESSION | by Robert Baird, September-October 2006 (Live Review)
If Penn was all solo nuance, then the Hacienda Brothers were the band brawn.
AMERICAN SONGWRITER | by Hal Horowitz, September-October 2006
 ...this is leisurely, stark, emotionally stirring music created by veterans who understand that less is more. Think George Jones fronting The Flying Burrito Brothers; add a windswept spaghetti Western (“Son of Saguaro”) and a rousing Gamble-Huff cover (“Cowboys to Girls”) and you’ve got cosmic American music for the millennium.
STEREOPHILE | by Fred Mills, September 2006
This set marks the second time Penn has gone to the well with the Haciendas. I caught him in concert with Oldham earlier this year, and had to tell him how much I’d enjoyed his protégés’ 2004 debut, The Hacienda Brothers. “If you like that,” Penn replied, grinning broadly, “you’re gonna flip for the new one.” Amen to that.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER | by Tom Roland, August 28, 2006 (Live Review)
Much of the night's lengthy set list harkened back to the smoke-filled dance halls that bred Bob Wills' country-jazz hybrid, Western swing and Ray Price's two-step-ready shuffle beat. With occasional forays into rock, R&B and the blues, the band offered as much sonic swagger and energy as one associates with some of those classic pioneering rock records and the V8 engines that populated the roads.
STUDIO CITY SUN / SHERMAN OAKS SUN / ENCINO SUN | by Marci Marks, August 28, 2006 (Live Review)
Last Friday night the Hacienda Brothers played selections from their new CD, “What’s Wrong With Right,” as well as other fan favorites, to a packed house at Cozy’s. Blues and soul met country — right here on Ventura Boulevard.
MOJO MAGAZINE (London) | by Bob Mehr, August 2006
ELMORE MAGAZINE | August 2006
Each instrumentalist – five Haciendas plus a guest pianist – offer world-class performances, whether subtle or shining brightly.
THE STRANGER (Seattle) | by Kurt B. Reighley, August 10-16, 2006
...the Haciendas' sophomore full-length, What's Wrong with Right, is one of my favorite records of 2006.
GOLDMINE | by Michael Buffalo Smith, August 18, 2006
The centerpiece of the album has to be the title track, “What’s Wrong With Right,” co-written by Gonzalez and Penn, a beautiful steel guitar-laced country tune destined to become a classic.
NO DEPRESSION | by Michael Berick, July-August 2006
Throughout their stellar sophomore disc, they bridge the gap between Memphis and Bakersfield. ...Given their credentials, it’s no surprise the music sounds so authentic. ...Fans of old-school soul and rough-hewn honky-tonk need look no further than this terrific merger of those two American music styles.
ARIZONA REPUBLIC | by Larry Rodgers, July 23, 2006
Gonzalez continues to sound like one of the best guitar players in the world of Americana Music. This hard-touring band is built for the long run.
MSNBC.COM | by Eric Alterman, July 18, 2006
I saw the most wonderful show last week at Joe’s Pub: Dan Penn warming up the Hacienda Brothers. ...Terrific musicians, dripping with inventiveness and integrity; I can’t think of another newish band I like so much.
THE ONION | by Noel Murray, July 12, 2006
The new album's statement-of-purpose cover is a swinging take on Gamble & Huff's Philly soul classic "Cowboys To Girls," which explores how western archetypes and sounds continue to affect us… A-
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER | by Nick Cristiano, July 9, 2006
...the Haciendas again put a strong dose of country into the kind of country-soul Penn pioneered in the South. ...But the emphasis is on soul - the feeling - and Gaffney's voice, full of weathered character, delivers loads of it...
LINCOLN JOURNAL | by Kent Wolgamott, July 7, 2006
1/2 The award for cover of the year goes to: The Hacienda Brothers for “Cowboys to Girls." I’ve never heard of any kind of musical awards for cover songs, but if there was such a prize, the Haciendas would take it hands-down for their countrified version of Gamble & Huff’s soul classic. ...If you haven’t heard them yet, the record is a perfect introduction to one of America’s great bands with a distinct, timeless sound.
SACRAMENTO BEE | by Jim Carnes, July 7, 2006
The Hacienda Brothers, it's safe to say, are the world's first Western soul supergroup.
SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW | by Mindy Giles, July 6, 2006
In the able arms of the Hacienda Brothers, the gorgeous genre of western soul comes to full desert flower.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS | by Shay Quillen, July 6, 2006
Gonzalez says he's learning a lot from the older Penn and Gaffney, and he's enjoying every lesson. ``I feel like I just got out of high school the other day with the Paladins, and now I'm in college.''
METRO - SANTA CRUZ | by Paul Davis, July 5, 2006
"Mixing country and soul was all their idea. They call it western soul, and that's just what I think it is," Penn states. "All I try to do is hold them between the ditches. This isn't a manufactured product—it's all their thing and they just happened to invite me along."
BLOG CRITICS.COM | by Zach Hoskins, June 29, 2006
...it's a testament to the Hacienda Brothers as a musical force all their own — not as the latest mouthpieces to give voice to Dan Penn's songs — but that some of the best songs on this record were produced by Gonzalez himself.
BARNES&NOBLE.COM | by David McGee, June 26, 2006
No matter the approach, the Haciendas make every transition, not merely seamlessly but authoritatively. Nothing wrong with something so right.
STUDIO CITY SUN / SHERMAN OAKS SUN / ENCIONO SUN | by Bill Bently, June 26, 2006
From Dan Penn-Spooner Oldham originals like “Cry Like A Baby” and “It Tears Me Up” to the Philly classic “Cowboys To Girls,” the material stays as inspired as the artists. Add an ever-present steel guitar on these gems, and this leads the list of local highlights this year, nudging its way toward national notice. Yow.
STYLUS | by Justin Cober-Lake, June 26, 2006
Whatever sound the band works in, Gaffney's voice maintains the balance between country honk and Southern soul. While he frequently uses a mild drawl, Gaffney resembles Otis Redding in tone more than anyone with a twang.
IOWA CITY PRESS CITIZEN | by Jim Musser, June 22, 2006
Roughly one year - and about 200 gigs - later, that same team is back with an even better batch, deftly collating pedal steel, Gonzalez' crisp rhythm chops and heavily-reverbed leads, Gaffney's zesty flourishes on accordion, guest Joe Terry's elegant keyboards, and some of the finest Southern soul writing and singing around. ...perfect grooves for a summertime drive.
NORTH COUNTRY TIMES (San Diego) | by Jim Trageser, June 26, 2006
It is urban and backcountry, R&B and country all at the same time. Few bands could pull off such a feat ---- what is most amazing is that the Hacienda Brothers pull it off on 13 songs in a row here.
SAN DIEGO READER | by Dave Good, June 22, 2006
Measured out in country haiku with pedal steel flourishes and a solid R&B grounding, the Hacienda Brothers may be a contrivance, but they sound more real than anything Nashville has promoted for decades.
MSNBC.COM | by Terri Miller, June 12, 2006
What rock have I been hiding under? How is it that a band so full of talent and range could have flown under my radar for so long? To say that The Hacienda Brothers blew my socks off (Mystic Theater Petaluma, CA, May 12, 2006) is putting it mildly.
AMAZON.COM | by Don McLeese, May 31, 2006
A majestic cover of Charlie Rich's "Life's Little Ups and Downs" obliterates all distinction between country and soul. If the liner notes lacked songwriting credits, two Hacienda originals--the opening "Midnight Dream" and "Keep It Together"--could pass as Penn's R&B, while the title track--a collaboration between Gonzalez and Penn--is the purest country song here. Take the opportunity to see them when they are in your neck of the woods.
GONE COUNTRY MAGAZINE | by JK, May 8, 2006
There isn't any sophomore slump with this band, as they have only gotten better.
PRESS ON DEBUT RELEASE
GAMBIT WEEKLY | by Alex Rawls, May 24, 2005
THE TENNESSEEAN | by Nicole Keiper, May 21, 2005
All the RAGE (Nashville) | by Heather Johnson, May 19-26, 2005
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES | Jedd Ferris, May 20, 2005
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE | by Curtis Ross, May 13, 2005
SHERMAN OAKS SUN | by Bill Bently, May 6-20, 2005
THE JAPAN TIMES | by Phillip Brasor, April 24, 2005
OC WEEKLY | by Jim Washburn, Vol. 10 #31 April 8-14, 2005
PRIME TIME| by Tom Wilk, April 2005
HYBRID MUSIC | by Embo Blake, March 2005
COUNTRY STANDARD TIME | by T.J. Simon, March 2005
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE | by Buddy Blue, March 25, 2005
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR | by Kent Wolgamott, March 9, 2005
ARIZONA DAILY STAR | Caliente | by Sarah Mauet, February 24, 2005
VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE | by Dan Fort, March 2005
TUCSON WEEKLY | by Curtis McCrary, February 24, 2005
NO DEPRESSION | by Linda Ray, #56 March-April 2005
USA TODAY | LIFE | by Brian Mansfield, February 22, 2005
CHICAGO READER | CRITIC'S CHOICE | by Bob Mehr, October 29, 2004
THE POST-CRESCENT | by Jim Lundstrom, October 26, 2004
THE READER | by B.J. Huchtemann, October 14-20, 2004
OC WEEKLY | by Buddy Seigal, Vol. 9 #30 April 2-8, 2004
THE READER | by B.J. Huchtemann, March 11, 2004
ARIZONA DAILY STAR | by Gerald M. Gay, December 26, 2003
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