With her new single, Leslie Tom poses the question: “Are You Ready For Some Hanky Panky?” The artist’s frisky play on words is actually in tribute to Hank Williams, taking listeners straight back to a 1950s honky-tonk with its classic country sound. Featuring jazz-infused electric guitar riffs and old-school pedal steel licks, Tom exchanges verses with Dean Miller as they dish the dirt on Williams’ life and times. The “hanky panky” under the spotlight comes in at the chorus, where Tom and Miller ask their audience the question in an energetic ode to the country legend.
When asked by PopMatters who some of her inspirations are, Tom said, “Hank Williams, his music inspires my own. My step-dad, Jim Rogers, he showed me what true, unconditional love was. My dad, Bob Alexander, gave me work ethic and a value system that is a firm foundation in how I approach everything in life; with honesty and integrity even when both of those things would be easier to forget.”
She also tells us that if she were able to travel anywhere in time, it would be to 1950s Alabama so she could meet Hank for herself. So, Tom’s admiration for the country icon certainly runs deep, and that much is as evident on this tune as it is throughout the rest of her upcoming album, Ain’t It Something, Hank Williams. The ten-track album isn’t your ordinary tribute album, featuring original songs wherein Tom reflects on the impact Williams has had on her career and her life. It was released via Coastal Bend on 23 March.
The music video for “Are You Ready For Some Hanky Panky?” was directed and produced by Jim Phelan, with cinematography by Phelan and Sam Allen.