The latest reviews from Kevin Bryan.

"Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats - A New Music City" (Sony Music)- This hugely entertaining 2 CD set explores the invaluable contribution that Nashville's session musicians made to some classic albums  during the late sixties and early seventies. The consumate artistry of  largely unsung musical heroes  such as harmonica ace Charlie McCoy and pedal steel guitarist Lloyd Green embellished landmark recordings  from the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, The Byrds and Bob Dylan.All of them are  revisited here alongside gems such as Neil Young's plaintive  "Heart of Gold," Steve Goodman's infectious train song, "City of New Orleans"  and a hitherto unreleased 1970 version of Dylan's "If Not For You."

 

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, "The Complete Duo Recordings" (Proper Records)- Their names probably won't mean too much to the average record buyer, but this low key duo were responsible for crafting a string of beautifully emotive soul ballads during the genre's sixties heyday, including "I'm Your Puppet," "Do Right Woman" and James Carr's "Dark End of the Street."  Messrs. Penn and Oldham have rarely ventured in front of the microphones themselves, but this fine audio-visual package  presents the cream of their illustrious back catalogue for your delectation, drawing on recordings made during their visits to the British Isles in 1998 and 2006.

 

The Albion Band, "Under The Rose" (Talking Elephant)- This long unavailable offering from the 1984 incarnation  of the Albion Band finds  the excellent Cathy Lesurf handling the bulk of the vocal duties, aided and abetted by founder member Ashley Hutchings and Phil Beer of Show of Hands fame.  The musical content is the usual majestic fare which has become this British folk-rock institution's trademark over the years, with "Tomorrow and Tomorrow," "Dancing Under The Rose" and "Woodlands of England" emerging as the cream of a uniformly excellent crop.

 

Asleep at the Wheel, "Live in Pennsylvania" (Wienerworld)- Asleep at the Wheel's sublime fusion of Texas country and  Western swing may never have  been a particularly commercial proposition but Ray Benson and his gifted cohorts have soldiered on regardless, and  this enjoyable live DVD  serves up  the  highlights of a recording  career which  began long long ago in 1973  with the release of  their well received debut set, "Comin' Right At Ya."  The band have  been through quite a few line-up changes since those days  but Philadelphia born  Benson is still  their  creative driving force,  and the laconic singer and guitarist is in particularly fine fettle here as Asleep at the Wheel  regale their Pennsylvania audience with perennial crowd-pleasers such as  "House of Blue Lights, " "Take Me Back To Tulsa" and  "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read."