Levee Town
No slide guitarist sinceRy Cooderhas made his strings shimmer and soar, growl and cry the way Sonny Landreth does. Though his sideman credits extend from a zydeco apprenticeship withClifton Chenierthrough his breakthrough association withJohn Hiatt, Landreth finds a unique musical niche on his own recordings, combining the literacy of a Southern storyteller with the chops of a guitar hero. This belated successor to 1995'sSouth of I-10evokes the spirit of Landreth's native Louisiana, in the atmospheric narratives of the title cut, "This River," and "Deep South," as well as in the rambunctious rhythms of "The U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile" and the instrumental "Z. Rider." Hiatt,Jennifer Warnes, andBonnie Raittprovide cameo vocal support, as Landreth's slide slices through the album's occasional overproduction.--Don McLeese