I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release,
Tele Masters, from
Arlen Roth and it's super. Featuring a who's who of telecaster players, this release has it all. Opening with
Remington Ride with Steve Wariner and Cindy Cashdollar, this track has a lot of country spice and great picking. Wariner and Roth each take turns showing their chops and Cashdollar's lap steel work is impeccable as always. backed by Tom Hambridge on drums, Tommy MacDonald on bass and Billy Panda on acoustic guitar, this is a super opener. A funky, lumbering arrangement to Big Bill Broonzy's
Key To The Highway gives it a fresh new life. Jack Pearson has a great voice on lead and sharing lead guitar with Roth, this track has really digs in. One of my favorites. A track featuring a great finger picking shoot out is
Bunky with Brad Paisley. If you are wondering if this release is a guitar players album...oh yeah! Will Ray and Roth strut tall with Link Wray's
Rumble. Keeping the bottom tight and laying blues rock guitar riffs over the meat makes this track soar. Very nice. Albert Lee and Roth do a really nice job of instrumentalizing Paul Simon's
Mrs. Robinson. Maintaining it's pop appeal but throwing on a strong sense of country gives the track a super feel. With a bluesy but country ballad style, Vince Gill and Roth work their magic on a beautiful arrangement of
Satisfied Mind. Full out country picking with Brent Mason and Roth on
Road Worthy gives each tele Master a great opportunity to show their stuff. With crisp pace and tight rhythms, a super job. Sweet and simple
Tennessee Waltz features Lexi Roth on lead vocal. Very clean and strong. Joe Bonamassa even makes an appearance here with a stretched out slower blues track,
Joe's Blues. Nobody doubts Bonamassa's chops and he lets it all hang out here pairing with Roth. Roth who is no stranger to the blues stands toe to toe with Bonamassa, each showing his own texture. Very cool.
Funky Mama features Johnny Hiland with Roth and always a favorite being almost a telecaster standard. Excellent! Roth lays out some really nice blues pyrotechnics on the intro of
Ghost Riders In The Sky featuring great contrast and workmanship between his own and Cashdollar's style. Another tele father with great style is Bill Kirchen on
Tuff Tele. Working the tele tone and styling and less the speed, this pairing is tops. Wrapping the release is Redd Voikaert on
A Minor Thing. With it's slow, shuffle feel and jazz approach, Roth and Voikaert lay in very nicely executed bluesy riffs before breaking into a double paced shoot off. This is a super track and a super closer for a really strong release.
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