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Articles by Rich Kienzle
Lonnie Mack
Lonnie Mack: Ebet Roberts. This Louisville concert is Mack at his best, though the audio is far from optimal (acknowledged in the liner notes). Joining him are longtime keyboardist/vibraphonist Dumpy Rice, drummer Jeff McAllister, and bassist Bucky Lindsey, who received a tape of this show from Lonnie himself. Mack explores his career with a snarling medley of “Memphis” and “Wham!,” then attacks “Satisfy Suzie” with pile-driver intensity.
Buddy Guy - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Buddy Guy: Peter Hurley. Three acoustic interludes feature Guy and his Martin BG paying homage to Hooker (“Hooker Thing”), Lightnin’ Hopkins (“One From Lightnin’”), and J.B. Lenoir (“Talk to Your Daughter”).
Asleep at the Wheel
All 10 songs, from various composers and eras, celebrate the Lone Star state. Benson revives his longtime pal George Strait’s 1987 hit “All My Exes (Live in Texas)” and reaches back to ’59 for the swaggering bar-band favorite “Long Tall Texan,” joined by guest vocalist Lyle Lovett. Billy Strings adds an acoustic solo to the band’s take on the title track, written by Peter Rowan.
Ray Benson
Dave Mason: Chris Jensen. Ray Benson: Liza Orozco. Asleep at the Wheel, the Western-swing band launched in West Virginia by Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans in 1970, was calling San Francisco home in ’74, when two Texas musicians suggested they relocate. One was Willie Nelson, the other was Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet. “Doug was my good pal and Willie was my hero. Willie said, ‘Hey, I’ll put you on shows,’ Benson remembers.
Daniel Donato
Daniel Donato: Jason Stoltzfus. Like his previous efforts, Horizons incorporates his blend of guitar-driven originals in extended jam-style contexts, punctuated with his “high lonesome” vocals, though various performances honor classic country sounds of the past. He plays amplified and acoustic parts with his Cosmic Country sidemen, occasionally assisted by Nashville steel guitarist Trent Resnick.
Daniel Donato
Like Donato’s previous effort, Reflector, Horizons has its jam-band moments, yet these 15 tracks lean to the country side; he enhances high-tenor vocals with licks evoking Brent Mason, Roy Nichols, Don Rich, James Burton, Redd Volkaert, Albert Lee, and other Tele twangmasters.
Rodney Crowell
Recorded in Louisiana, this album (named for a prominent Houston thoroughfare) has an easygoing feel with cameos from Ashley McBryde, Lukas Nelson, Larkin Poe, and Charlie Starr. Fortunately, the guests never detract from Crowell’s performances, which blend his edgy vocals around evocative compositions. With him and Bryant handling guitars, the playing is consistently tight and disciplined.
Dierks Bentley
Simple bass-string licks introduce the thoughtful “Standing in the Sun” then give way to a shimmering guitar/steel motif to close full circle with the bass strings. Snarling guitars drive the catchy “She Hates Me” and, on “Something Worth Fixing,” McNelley’s tight, twanging break erupts as Dan Dugmore’s pedal steel keens in the background.
The Shootouts - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Well-executed flatpicking from Poston and Bush enhance the upbeat “Only You.” The zesty ensemble passage on “Half a World Away” reflects great taste and timing. Bush and Poston conjure ample bluegrassy fireworks on the buoyant instrumental “Switchback.” While Crowell adds his voice to “Half a World Away,” for Gill, “I’ll Be Damned” revisits a tune he first recorded in 1980 during his Pure Prairie League days, enhanced by Pahl’s steel and Poston’s high-velocity picking.
Jim Kweskin
Jim Kweskin: Irene Young. That full-bodied ensemble includes bassist Matthew Berlin (who co-produced the album with Kweskin), fiddler Matt Leavenworth, and trumpeter Annie Linders. Guest vocalists are Racky Thomas and longtime Kweskin collaborator Samoa Wilson. Rounding it out are acoustic flat picker Titus Vollmer and lap steel guitar master Cindy Cashdollar, the sole amplified voice.
Jim Kweskin & The Berlin Hall Saturday Night Revue
This jovial, swinging collection reveals Kweskin in fine voice, his zesty, unrelenting swing complemented by free-flowing acoustic fingerpicking. The full-bodied backup features first-rate musicians all clearly comfortable with the older sounds, including fiddler Matt Leavenworth and Cindy Cashdollar’s flawless Western-swing lap steel. Guest vocalist Racky Thomas is clearly in his element, as is Kweskin’s niece, Samoa Wilson, whose style conjures Maria Muldaur’s sultry vocals.
Joe Ely
Today, his battles with a rare neurological disorder have ended his active career, but Ely’s output continues with collections of never-heard tunes, originals, and covers recorded in his home studio then compiled with help from his wife. He generally overdubbed all instruments with occasional contributions from longtime collaborators like accordionist Joel Guzman or Lloyd Maines, who plays acoustic guitar and occasional pedal steel.
Jedd Hughes
Given his stature as a sideman with Crowell, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Guy Clark, and others, it’s no surprise Hughes flawlessly integrates his formidable picking into arrangements that enhance the song and demonstrate his taste and virtuosity. A burning cover of Crowell’s “Stay/Don’t Be Cruel,” joined by Crowell and Buxton, features snarling instrumental interjections. Hughes is raw on “Riff Raff,” where riffs (and his ’60s Kay fuzz pedal) drive the tune, concluding with pungent licks.
Nels Cline
Their concepts are ambitious and their sound is free, Cline allowing everyone ample room to explore the varied themes. Lightcap and Rainey provide a solid, creative framework for the Cline-Laubrock frontline, which flawlessly supports each other throughout. A prime example is “Satomi,” with Cline slipping in simple, effective rhythm licks behind Laubrock’s free-flowing improvisations.
Jason Isbell - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Nearly all of Isbell’s collection sees time onstage. One of the rare exceptions is his ’34 000-28. As his success grew, a collection of older gear has played a major role in his approach, both in the studio and onstage. That includes his latest effort Foxes in the Snow, his first solo acoustic collection. “I’ve never done it before and it didn’t seem silly,” he says of the new album.
Eric Lindberg
Eric Lindberg: Kelin Verrette and Rafael Roy. Those broader horizons and the expanded Nefesh Mountain Band with keyboard, mandolin, bass, and drums dominate their double album, Beacons. Disc one is Americana originals and amplified playing, while disc two’s modern acoustic bluegrass features A-list guest pickers. Joining mandolin ace Sam Bush and dobroist Jerry Douglas are banjoist Rob McCoury, fiddler Stuart Duncan, and guitarist Cody Kilby.
Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Area Code 615, and more
Nashville became a magnet for rockers when Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Gene Vincent recorded there in the ’50s, but the ’60s British Invasion and folk-rock boom also connected to the Nashville recording scene. Peter & Gordon paved the way, recording a country album there for Capitol in December 1965.
Rodney Crowell, Richard Bennett, Wes Langlois, Chris Scruggs, and others
I Saw The Light, the recently released Hank Williams Sr. biopic, stars Tom Hiddleston as the iconic, troubled country singer and songwriter who left an indelible impact on American music before dying in 1953 at age 29, awash in alcohol and drugs. Presented documentary-style, it covers the last nine years of Williams’ life. This digital-only soundtrack album spans old and new, as the producers’ determination to create a narrative infused with authenticity and accuracy extended to the soundtrack.
Vince Gill, Duane Eddy, Steve Fishell, and others
Buddy Gene Emmons stands as one of a handful of pedal steel players who truly advanced the instrument. His innovations as the “Bud” half of Sho-Bud guitars with partner Shot Jackson are just part of it. Emmons was the first pedal steeler to explore bebop and hard bop on his groundbreaking 1963 Steel Guitar Jazz album. That and subsequent solo records inspired generations of steel players, as did his exuberant appearances at steel-guitar conventions worldwide.
Dave Van Ronk and Oscar Isaac, Bob Dylan, Punch Brothers, and others
The 2013 Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, chronicled a week in the life of a Greenwich Village folksinger during 1961, a character loosely based on the late Dave Van Ronk. T-Bone Burnett handled soundtrack duties. His selections often receive lavish, almost automatic praise, yet his work can be sterile and, on period films like the 2000 Coen film O Brother, Where Art Thou, he doesn’t always accurately reflect the music of a given era. This time Burnett nails it.
Brad Paisley - Play
Brad Paisley’s albums have been admirably consistent, emphasizing vocals, of course, but usually spiced by a couple great Telecaster workouts. In the case of Play, five of the 16 tracks are vocals, the remainder instrumental. Such albums aren’t easy to get past most Music Row producers, who favor radio airplay over quality, unless a major-label act has attained the highest level of success.
Marty Stuart - Vintage Guitar® magazine
The title of Marty Stuart’s two-disc album originates in a longstanding Southern paradox: the notion of raising hell, boozing, and partying on a Saturday night, usually in a barroom or dancehall – then shaking it off for a worshipful Sunday of church and fellowship. Working with his Fabulous Superlatives – guitarist Kenny Vaughan, bassist Paul Martin and drummer Harry Stinson – and joined by select guests, Stuart creates an effective tapestry spanning both worlds, with consistent sound and feel.
Dion - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Dion DiMucci, the Bronx doo-wop singer who became immortal in 1961 with Dion and the Belmonts (“Teenager In Love”), and on solo rock hits like “The Wanderer” re-invented himself as a folk-blues singer after producer John Hammond signed him to Columbia in 1962 (the year after Hammond signed Bob Dylan). While the folk commentary “Abraham, Martin & John” put Dion back on the charts, blues has been the focus of his work.
Country Style U.S.A.
The peacetime U.S. Army in 1957 had a steady stream of new recruits due to the draft and ongoing promotional efforts to encourage enlistments. Among those projects – 52 filmed segments of “Country Style U.S.A.,” were made available to local TV stations from ’57 to ’61.
Willie Nelson - Willie & The Wheel
Aside from Jerry Wexler’s standing as a titan of R&B, soul and rock, his musical range extended far beyond. A lifelong country fan, Wexler enjoyed Hank Williams and Bob Wills when they were alive and touring. He was aware of Willie Nelson – who grew up playing Western swing around Abbott, Texas – in the early ’60s, when Willie, far from stardom, was renowned as Nashville’s hottest new songwriter.
Buck Owens - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Buck Owens never minced words. I know. I interviewed him and others in his inner circle in 1992, while annotating Rhino’s Buck Owens Collection box set. Detailing his scorn for Nashville’s music industry, he held nothing back – although he did note that time had mellowed his views. Given Music Row politics, some involved with the project feared his barbs might undermine manager Jack McFadden’s campaign to get him into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Brad Paisley - Vintage Guitar® magazine
After a slew of excellent albums earlier in the decade, Brad Paisley’s work has taken a more uneven turn. His vocals and flair for guitar pyrotechnics remain flawless even if the material on recent albums has been less-consistent. Moonshine In The Trunk continues this trend. Several numbers here show him following other male Nashville stars of the moment, grinding out party-hearty anthems about booze, pickup trucks, hot girls in tight jeans, and the other usual suspects.
Jeff Healey - Vintage Guitar® magazine
Famous as a driving, fiery blues guitar virtuoso in the ’90s, the late Jeff Healey’s passion for that music was equaled (at least) by his passion for older blues, vintage swing, and jazz going back to the ’20s. This came through in his record collection of 30,000 78s. Over time, Healey began performing that music mode onstage with his band the Jazz Wizards, recording a DVD and four albums for Stony Plain Records.
Hank Williams - The Unreleased Recordings
For Hank Williams Sr. collectors who have all his studio material, the Holy Grail has been recordings of his live early morning radio shows, 15 minutes long, broadcast daily over Nashville’s WSM in 1951 and sponsored by Mother’s Best Flour. The station recorded some of these shows to run if Hank and his band, the Drifting Cowboys, were on tour.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Vocals and songwriting skills aside, the former Drive-By Trucker is a first-rate guitarist, working alongside 400 Unit guitarists Sadler Vaden (VG, May ’20) and Will Johnson, supported by bassist Anna Butterss. A compelling and emotional vocalist, Isbell, Vaden, and Johnson’s guitars flawlessly wrap around each tune with powerful, crashing chord work and subtle rhythm licks. The pair unfurl blistering, feverish breaks on “King of Oklahoma,” the second exchange closing the song.
Dwight Yoakam | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Edwards unleashes two fierce breaks on the bluesy “Can’t Be Wrong” and a delicate, amplified interlude on the ballad “California Sky.” Yoakam adds acoustic and amplified solos to “Every Night.” On the Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side,” which begins a cappella before exploding into a chugging, propulsive rocker, Yoakam’s driving amplified rhythm propels Edwards’ concise solo. Few artists achieve such consistently high quality on their albums – on Brighter Days, Yoakam does it yet again.
Side Hustle | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Clearly at home in timeless ’60s guitar/organ/rhythm section format, his 13th album tackles a set of originals and standards with understated finesse. His eloquent “Georgia on my Mind” features rich, Montgomeryesque octave passages. The original “Who Dat?” invokes the spirit of Montgomery’s original compositions. Rotella establishes a moody, reflective theme on Marvin Gaye’s “Don’t Mess with Mister T,” complemented by Jeremy Pelt’s muted trumpet.
Billy Strings | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Strings’ ability to seamlessly move between acoustic Appalachian virtuosity and complex, extended amplified improvisations (on the same wired-up Preston Thompson D-BA) has broadened his already sizable audience. So have collaborations with Willie Nelson, Jake Shimabukuro, and other heavy hitters. This collection of tunes, recorded at various shows, explores that range in stunning detail.
Jim Lauderdale | Vintage Guitar® magazine
His latest, My Favorite Place, is “a pretty hard country album. It’s got a lot of up-tempo stuff on it, rockin’ a little bit. I like to alternate between (recording) the traditional country with a twist and bluegrass, the soul thing, singer/songwriter, whatever style.” Recorded with his band the Game Changers and guest pickers, Lauderdale wrote or co-wrote every song including the complex, dramatic romantic ballad “Mrs. Green,” a collaboration with guitarist/songwriter Bob Minner.
Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Unlike the previous album, Fire Up! (which was a remote/pandemic project), Friendlytown was live in the studio with the core band (The Midnight Hour) and guests Billy Gibbons, Brian May, and Tim Montana. Gibbons plays on 11 of the 13 tracks and occasionally solos. Montana solos on “You Can’t Refuse,” while May splits lead vocal with Roger Reale and injects guitar fills between lines in his verse, then plas a solo after one by Gibbons. What of Cropper?
Joe Ely | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Ely does much of his own picking, mostly acoustic, occasionally amplified. Sometimes he uses a drum machine. At times, sidemen add accordion, amplified guitar or mandolin. The blues motif dominates, yet each song is distinctive.
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore
The alliance surprised some. “Dave has fans that go, ‘Why are you playin’ with him?’ and my fans said, ‘What are you doin’? That guy’s loud!’’’ Gilmore laughs. “We had a lot in common,” Alvin adds. “But things are different about our approaches to the same music that makes it fun and interesting.
Jim Lauderdale | Vintage Guitar® magazine
The ballad “Mrs. Green” examines a complex romantic situation, enhanced by Steve Hinson’s pedal steel. Guitarist Craig Smith weaves acoustic and electric textures and adds an eloquent solo that complements Lauderdale’s somber vocal on “You’ll be Gone by Then.” Smith’s acoustic picking also brilliantly frames the mysterious story-song “The Lightning Tree,” co-written by Lauderdale and the late, iconoclastic Nashville songwriter Cowboy Jack Clement.
Connie Smith | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Backed by Stuart’s band and numerous guest players, she wraps her still-formidable voice around Loretta Lynn’s “World of Forgotten People,” enhanced by Gary Carter’s empathetic pedal steel.
“Spider” John Koerner
A native of Rochester, New York, Koerner arrived at the University of Minnesota in 1956 to study engineering, when folk music caught his attention. He became part of the local acoustic scene and performed briefly with a young Bob Dylan, who warmly recalled Koerner in his memoir “Chronicles.” Onstage, Koerner and his partners, singer/guitarist Dave “Snaker” Ray and harmonica virtuoso Tony Glover, performed as a group, solo, and in duos.
George Ducas | Vintage Guitar® magazine
To Ducas’ strong vocals and first-rate material, Anderson applies all the amplified guitars (standard, baritone, and bass), with pedal-steeler Gary Morse and acoustic guitarist Al Bonhomme. On the aggressive shuffle “Mr. Guitar Man” and rocking, Latin-flavored “Cryin’ Time,” both Ducas’ voice and Anderson’s picking flow free. The Buck Owens-Yoakam spirit permeates “Hello Fool” and “Nothin’ Left to Lose.” The musicians are just as powerful with ballads.
George Ducas and Pete Anderson
Heavily influenced by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart, Ducas – a longtime Dwight Yoakam/Anderson admirer – was enthused when a former sideman (former VG columnist Zac Childs) suggested Anderson might be a good fit to produce his new music.“Working with Pete was an honor and a pleasure,” Ducas says. “I was a follower and fan of his work for a long time. He’s a chapter in American music history all on his own.” Ducas had plenty of material.
George Ducas | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Heavily influenced by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart, Ducas – a longtime Dwight Yoakam/Anderson admirer – was enthused when a former sideman (former VG columnist Zac Childs) suggested Anderson might be a good fit to produce his new music.“Working with Pete was an honor and a pleasure,” Ducas says. “I was a follower and fan of his work for a long time. He’s a chapter in American music history all on his own.” Ducas had plenty of material.
Bill Frisell | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Jazz guitar with orchestrations stirs memories going back to his late-’60s high school years in Denver, when he heard Wes Montgomery playing “Bumpin’ on Sunset,” orchestrated and arranged by Claus Ogerman. “That was a huge turning point for me, hearing Wes at that moment, when I was really fired up about music but hadn’t heard much jazz.” Before his unexpected death, Montgomery was set to headline a 1968 Newport Jazz Festival tour stop in Denver.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
The recording’s sonic clarity reveals the synergy of her unrestrained vocals and rhythmic licks. “When My Life Work Is Ended” begins with single-string figures and driving chords.
Mark Knopfler | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Knopfler’s original tunes are intimate, often centering on quirky, backstreet characters. He leans into each vocal, his guitar always crisp and focused. The witty “Smart Money” features a flawless break, the song further enhanced by Leisz’s rich twang.
Walter Trout | Vintage Guitar® magazine
The blues remain at the heart of all 12 of the moody tracks on this extended set. Fortunately, Trout didn’t go overboard with guests and instead chose quality material, nearly all of it original. Beth Hart’s smoky voice complements Trout’s world-weary lead vocals and playing on the title track. Will Wilde’s articulate, rocking harp enhances the hard-driving “Bleed,” a perfect foil for Walter’s smoldering solo.
John Leventhal | Vintage Guitar® magazine
“JL’s Hymn No. 2” is a stately, fingerpicked acoustic instrumental with parts blending simplicity and complexity. On “Tullamore Blues, No. 2,” he lays down multiple parts giving the performance a flawless, near-symphonic feel. The thoughtful guitar-piano duet “Floyd Cramer’s Dream” honors the renowned Nashville A-Team session pianist and solo artist. The easygoing “Three-Chord Monte” lightens the mood, contrasting with the minor-key “The Only Ghost,” again mixing acoustic and amplified backing.
Jim Kweskin | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Kweskin’s impressive picking opens “You’re Just in Love,” sung with granddaughter Fiona Kweskin, as it does the pop chestnut “Side by Side,” with Samoa Wilson and backed by Cindy Cashdollar’s Dobro. Maria Muldaur, the best-known Jug Band alumnus, joins for “The Sheik of Araby” and the Louis & Lillian Armstrong duet “Let’s Get Happy Together.” Kweskin’s guitar and Cashdollar’s lap steel stand out on the title track, sung with Juli Crockett.
Chris Shiflett | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Nashville is the focus this time, where Shiflett (lead guitarist in Foo Fighters) and producer Jaren Johnston drew on the talents of three current Music City guitar heroes – electric virtuoso Tom Bukovac, acoustic master Charlie Worsham, and Nathan Keeterle. Again, there’s nary a hint of retro nostalgia. Shiflett fused his tough vocals, instrumental chops, and compositional gifts with the town’s cutting edge.
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