Lee Armstrong

On the Borderline, July 14 2004

Wylie Gustafson plays western music that would be at home on a Sons of the Pioneers set or Ian Tyson's post-Ian & Sylvia work. His songs are short, often clocking in under 3 minutes. This tall redhead from Montana has a voice that is melodic and often expressive. He writes some sweet melodies such as "Swinging On A Star" & the title track. Many of the tracks are fairly slow, but he can certainly set a toe to tapping as on "Whoop-Up Trail." While most of these songs are more western than country, the Wild West do have some pedal steel on "Without You" that sounds like a classic country weeper that probably sounds good on one of Wylie's Grand Ole… Read more

Blasting the Past, July 13 2004

"Elvis at Sun" addresses more than a collector's fascination. The first two tracks make those of us most familiar with Elvis' later work do a double-take to listen closely to see if it's really Elvis. Then when "That's All Right" picks up the pace, Elvis' sound starts to shine through. There are three things I really like about this package in addition to the music. First, when you listen to the whole disc, you hear Elvis grow in confidence as a singer. Second, the liner notes are very helpful telling the songs' origins. Lastly, RCA has done a great technical job making this disc sound fresh with excellent sound quality 50 years later.

In addition to "That's… Read more

Eden Regained, July 10 2004

After Salamander Crossing's breakup, Rani Arbo and her band Daisy Mayhem went their own way. "Gambling Eden" takes a different approach than 2001's "Cocktail Swing." Whereas the previous disc focused on 20's & 30's jazz, "Gambling Eden" is more in the folk-rock-country territory of a band like Nickel Creek. One of the first records I bought as a boy in the early 60's was "Stewball" by Lonnie Donnegan. At Arbo's hands the track pulses with energy with Arbo's violin giving it a traditional feel, particularly compared with Donnegan's earlier rockabilly take, "Way out in California where Stewball was born, all the jockeys in the country say… Read more