Search - Various Artists :: Totally Hot Nashville Steel Guitar

Tons of fun but beware

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 04/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Totally Hot Nashville Steel Guitar" is a fun listen. While a very enjoyable disc, it has issues. For starters, the album is trapped in a hum-drum pop box. Indeed, pop is the primary treatment here -not country, rockabilly, jazz, rock or Hawaiian. For an instrumental recording, the improvisation is seldomly spirited. The arrangements are straight-forward and show little artistic interpretation. Finally, the project commits an unforgivable sin. Some songs employ synthesized drums. Unlike the hype on the CD case, there are no masters on this recording. Indeed, if the listener is looking for steel guitar music of integrity, stick with Speedy West, Buddy Emmons or Jon Rauhouse. It would seem that the issues I've chronicled would deliver the kiss of death to any disc, but somehow "Totally Hot Nashville Steel Guitar" manages to redeem itself. How? This is one fun listen! The greatest strength is the unique song choice. It's packed with tons of standards and neat TV songs like 'Night Life,' 'Sleep Walk' and 'Stand By Your Man.' The 'Star Trek Theme' is almost worth the price alone. While pop is the primary vehicle, a variety of musical styles somehow filter through. As a final strenth, let's not forget about the CD's artwork! This is a good musical choice for those instrumental enthusiasts who find too much twang in real country or those steel guitar devotees with a sense of humor."