Swing West!, Vol. 1: Bakersfield
Though it includes noMerle Haggardhits and noBuck Owensat all, this compilation documents Bakersfield's bare-bones, honky-tonk sound--crackling guitars and steels, busy fiddles, high harmonies--that thrived for roughly two decades beginning in the early '50s, and was eventually considered a serious threat to Nashville. Artists range from the off-the-wall Tommy Collins to the deeply soulfulRose Maddox. Other highlights include the bluegrass-inflected "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" fromJoe Maphisand Rose Lee; the lovely, devotional "Waltz of the Angels" by Wynn Stewart; the hillbilly boogie of theFarmer Boys' "Humdinger"; and the hard truckin' of Red Simpson's "Highway Patrol." Nearly everything has a little swing and a lot of drive.Dwight Yoakamhelped refocus attention on this renegade brand of country, but there's no better introduction than this compilation.--John Morthland