All Hat No Cattle
San Francisco instrumentalist Joe Goldmark is a rare remaining champion of pedal-steel-guitar music, a flourishing subgenre of country music in the 1960s and '70s when virtuosos such asBuddy Emmonsand Pete Drake carved out a niche by steel-coating the hits of the day. Goldmark keeps the tradition alive via his own recordings and by publishing a remarkably thorough steel-guitar discography.All Hat--No Cattle, his third solo set, is a treat for anyone who likes to hear those strings stretched out over tasty tunes. Here Goldmark and three different sets of sidemen (including the superb all-instrumental ensembleJim Campilongo & the 10 Gallon Cats) tackle everything fromDon Gibson's country weeper "Sweet Dreams" toFastball's 1998 alternative hit "The Way" toBob Seger's "Her Strut," tossing in some nifty originals to fill the gaps. It's enough to steel your heart anyway.--Steven Stolder