Louisiana is a unique place. Only the backwoods of Mississippi, Alabama and South Texas can come close to the vibe that emanates from places like Alexandria, Crowley, Lake Charles and all the surrounding backwater towns. Dark back roads lined with run down bars and roadhouses where people work hard and drink harder.

In Nashville they cried in their beer, in Richard Gibbs’ world it was blood that filled their shot glasses. Richard wrote of loneliness, booze and a need to escape a life of despair. Gibbs’ voice is half bayou/half barroom as he tells stories like “Drinkin’ Spree”, “Empty Glass”, “Too Busy Hurtin’” and “Ten Bottles Of Whiskey”. But it’s the title track that exposes the raw nerves of our storyteller’s psyche – as he treats his immortality like a plastic cup from “Nickel Beer Night”. Richard is a drunk, bruised, sad sack of a character who stumbles home after lamenting his love-life and losing at fisticuffs.

I don’t know of any LP that captures the depths of emotion and feeling of gloom that “No Use To Grieve” exudes. Even amongst the hardest core Country collectors this LP is unknown.

Now Sweden’s Sweet Mental Revenge Records have tracked Richard Gibbs and guitarist Belton Thibodeaux down for interviews and the extensive liner notes written by Luke Torn (Uncut Magazine) finally tells the story of one of country music’s holiest grail.