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Jon Rauhouse is truly a master of his instrument. Not
since the glory days of Speedy West has someone so completely
given his own voice to the pedal steel guitar. Rauhouse is to
the steel what Jerry Douglas is to the dobro or Sonny
Landreth is to the slide guitar. Rauhouse is a master of the
instrument, able to bend its sounds to meet his every whim, whether
it be country, Hawaiian, or lounging swing. Rauhouse makes the
rounds from the jumpy, old-timey "The Fishin' Hole"
(a.k.a. The Andy Grifftih Show theme song) to a jazzy interpretation
of the theme from the TV show "Mannix". Many friends
of Rauhouse join him on the record, including many members of
Calexico acting as his band, along with Tommy Connell,
and even Neko Case chiming in on a laid-back jazzy version
of "East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)". Case sounds
more smoky and charming than she has in a few records' time and
this performance alone makes the album worthwhile… but wait,
there's more! Rauhouse winds up for a blistering version of Marty
Robbins' "Big Iron", including Kelly Hogan
on vocals, John Convertino on drums, and Joey Burns
on bass… all underpinned by the brilliant steel work of Rauhouse
himself. Sally Timms joins in on vocals for a very melancholy
reading of jazz classic "I'll Be Seeing You". Don't
sell Rauhouse short as a covers man, though. He penned the awesome
country slow swing of "Drinkin' & Smokin'", the
jumping jive Appalachian style of "Grief", and the pure
bluegrass of "Hood Canal". Additionally, Rauhouse lends
his talented hands to some Hawaiian slack-key guitar as well as
some blistering banjo playing throughout the record.
The focus of Steel Guitar Heart Attack is not so much
on flashy playing and glistening guitar licks, though these things
are very obviously in evidence. Rather than being showy and garish
with his playing, Rauhouse takes a backseat, playing the perfect
amount to enhance the selections and create a record filled with
highly melodic and very enjoyable songs. Move on over, Esquivel!
This is countrified lounge music perfect for the swinging bachelor
pad decorated with rawhide and wagon wheels… skip the martini
glasses.
-Embo Blake
Track Listing:
1. Idaho
2. Bongo Ride
3. I'll Be Seeing You
4. 5 After 5
5. Drinkin' & Smokin'
6. Harbor Lights
7. Mannix
8. Grief
9. Everybody Loves The Sun
10. Ballad Of The Black Chihuahua
11. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
12. Begin The Beguine
13. Holiday For Strings
14. Hood Canal
15. Girls Of Pajama Hill
16. Big Iron
17. Red Pollard
18. The Fishin' Hole
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