Month: August 2013

Dwight Yoakam’s 1986 Guitars, Cadillacs… etc. etc. infused Bakersfieldstyle twang into the New Traditionalist trend then sweeping a country scene weary of frothy country pop. Two years later, he revived the career of long-time hero Buck Owens with their hit duet on “Streets Of Bakersfield.” 3 Pears, his first album of new material since 2005, reflects Yoakam’s consistency, compositional gifts, and taste in covers as he moves between neo-traditional country; roots music, classics, and other retro-based forms.

On many tracks, Yoakam alone handles guitar duties. That includes “Take Hold Of My Hand,” an aggressive original he began writing two decades ago and completed with Kid Rock’s assistance. On it, Brian Whelan added pedal steel. Sheer whimsy dominates the loopy original “Waterfall” while “Long Way To Go” sits in a zone between country and rock.

Two numbers have ’60s overtones. A period shot of John Lennon wearing three pairs of sunglasses inspired the title song and “A Heart Like Mine,” one of two tunes co-produced by Beck at his studio, has an obvious garage band feel.

The sole Bakersfield shout-out is a chugging arrangement of “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud Loud Music).” Joe and Rose Lee Maphis wrote it after watching Buck Owens, then only a local star, onstage at Bakersfield’s famous Blackboard Cafe. Here, Jason Falkner adds steel with Eddie Perez on lead guitar. Falkner does both bass and guitar honors on “Missing Heart.”

By contrast, “Long Way To Go” features only Yoakam’s voice and Whelan’s piano. The two bonus tracks – covers of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” and the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” – get full band treatment.

3 Pears affirms Yoakam’s maturity and reaffirms the edginess that made him compelling over a quarter-century ago.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan. ’13 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The first of Flores’ 11 solo albums came out in ’87, but by then she’d run the gamut from singer/songwriter (in sort of an L.A./Ronstadt mold) to punk (including a 1984 LP by her all-girl Screaming Sirens). Along the way, she dueted with Wanda Jackson and Ray Campi, hosted NPR’s “Whole Lotta Shakin’” rockabilly series, and produced the late Janis Martin’s final album.

Considering that she’s logged numerous sessions as both singer and guitarist (her résumé includes a stint as Butch Hancock’s guitar player), it’s surprising that this is the first album on which she handled all of the six-string duties. Hence, instead of a portrait of Flores, the CD cover is of her surfgreen, Bigsby-equipped, metalbody James Trussart Steeltopcaster (but fans will appreciate the back-cover shot of the ageless beauty, in fishnets no less, playing said Trussart with a contented smile).

The repertoire mixes Martin’s “Drugstore Rock And Roll” and Elvis’ “Too Much” (with Rosie not going quite as far out on a limb as Scotty Moore did, but digging in nonetheless) with a beautifully soft reading of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (shifting to a lightly swinging shuffle for the bridge). Her three originals include the instrumental “Surf Demon #5,” co-written with the bassist for the Minneapolis sessions, Tommy Vee, son of Bobby Vee. Yes, that’s the Bobby Vee of “Devil Or Angel” and “Come Back When You Grow Up” fame. The elder Vee harmonizes perfectly with Rosie on his composition “Love Must Have Passed You By,” with Flores mixing crystalline arpeggios with Duane Eddy twang.

The younger Vee and drummer Noah Levy played on Brian Setzer’s Songs From Lonely Avenue, and handle ballads and rockers, like Ritchie Mintz’s galloping title tune, with equal ease and oomph.

Flores kept her rig simple, running the Trussart through a ’50s Princeton or a Deluxe Reverb. Her playing and, for that matter, her whole career is best described by her original “Little But I’m Loud.” If she decides to use any session guitarists in the future, they’d better bring their A game.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan. ’13 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Heartfelt personal developments inspired Phelps to write 11 of these 12 biblically themed gospel/blues songs. Accompanied only by his brilliantly played slide acoustic, he helps expand appreciation of blues styles other than vintage Mississippi Delta and Chicago electric varieties.

Those popular styles define the blues for some, drawing much of their character from vocal and instrumental dynamics and crescendo. The blues tradition Phelps draws from gets its character from delicate, precise figures played over a relentless clockwork rhythm – calm on the surface but with a lot more to it than at first meets the ear.

Phelps evokes East Coast blues guitarists like Rev. Robert Wilkins in “Down To The Praying Ground.” On “Talkin’ To Jehova,” he plays just ragged enough to divert your attention from how much is actually in the mix, his acoustic slide so punchy you can almost feel the air puffing out of the guitar’s soundhole every time he does a bass run.

“Goodbye To Sorrow” springs from the music of ragtime-inspired Piedmont players like Blind Blake. Phelps often marries his vocal to the fingerpicked melody, a blues technique that was adapted by jazz players like George Benson. It isn’t as easy to pull off as one might think, but Phelps slips in and out of it expertly while maintaining that relentless, compelling rhythm that’s almost formal in its preciseness and all the more irresistible because of it.

You don’t have to share Phelps’ religious beliefs or hold any such beliefs at all to enjoy this album. If you feel your soul has been saved, it makes all the sense in the world to celebrate with music – and the blues in particular, which remain one of the earthly world’s greatest joys.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan. ’13 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.