Music Reviews
Oct-Nov 2004
Music of the West
Sing and Swing
By Hugh McLennan
Hooves of The Horses
Wylie and The Wild West, Dualtone Records
 While not a Canadian, tunesmith and performer Wylie Gustafson is from just over the Montana/Alberta border and he remains a favorite of Canadian audiences who live for tunes soaked in western imagery.
A veteran artist who has been cutting superior sides for close to two decades now, Gustafson is blessed with an immediately identifiable voice that suits his material like a perfectly-cut cowhide glove.
At times he swings and at other times he pulls in the reins and with convincing restraint on ballads.
There's never a note out of place or any extraneous additions to the mix as a superb cast of players including steel guitarist Duane Becker, fiddler Hoot Hester and trumpet player Jimmy Clark, who peppers a few tunes with beautifully-placed solos and fills, impress throughout.
Titles like Hooves Of The Horses, I Grab My Saddle and Blow, Leather Lover, MMM.....Montana, and Saddle Broncs and Sagebrush put a thematic brand on the set of songs as the main man sings like he's lived every line of lyric.
Choice covers round out the sixteen song collection and standouts include the twang-driven tribute to Johnny Cash in the form Luther Played The Boogie and the drama-filled dust up of Tom Russell's, The Sky Above, The Mud Below.
In all, Hooves of The Horses is such a complete piece of work that it should find a home on many critics and fans' "Best of 2004" lists come the end of the year.
|
