Swingin' On The Strings
Unless you've laid down the big bucks for Bear Family'smotherlode, Razor & Tie'sfirst volumeof Speedy & Jimmy instrumentals probably left you hungry for more. Thankfully--mercifully--Razor & Tie has issued a jaw-dropping second collection of fiery, ferocious forays. Bryant's head-spinning single-string leads mesh perfectly with West's limitless arsenal of pedal-steel tones, moans, whines, and wails. Remarkably, almost all of their 50 recordings are tossed-off head arrangements done for sheer enjoyment, but they remain superlative country-bop tracks that turn flash and flamboyance into valuable assets. Go no further than "China Boy," a six-minute reading of the jazz standard that runs right through producer Ken Nelson's stop signs, or the ballad "West of Samoa," which features West's bird imitations on pedal steel. Whether on floating Hawaiian-tinged ballads or supersonic steamers, the dynamic duo never ceases to amaze.--Marc Greilsamer