Most tribute albums sound better in one’s mind than they do to one’s ears. One walks away from the experience thinking that the next time he wants to hear a bands best of, then he will listen to the original tunes over a bunch of remakes. ZZ Top, however, are not your average band.

When Reverend Billy Gibbons heard that a tribute album involving ZZ Top was being done he wondered who his band was paying tribute too, not once thinking others were going to be paying tribute to ZZ.

This tribute album is a good time as it encompasses artists as diverse as Steven Tyler, Coheed & Cambria, Wyclef Jean and Duff MCKagan’s Loaded, showing just how wide ranging ZZ Top’s musical influence is felt.

The album starts off with “Sharp Dressed Man” by The M.O.B. Who is The M.O.B. you ask? The band is made up of Tyler on vocals, Jonny Lang on guitar, John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Filter does a hard rockin’ version of “Gimme All Your Lovin’” while Nickleback does a cool rendition of “Legs.” One of the brightest spots on the CD is Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, who do a sexy version of “Tush.” “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raiser” by Coheed & Cambria is the best remake on the album. Wolfmother’s take on “Cheap Sunglasses” comes in a close second.

Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard executively produced the album, ensuring that everything that ended up on the disc was tribute worthy to the band’s fans.

While this one will never replace the real thing, many of the tunes are very creative and are worth checking out.

By Jeb Wright