Ceding the dark side of pedal steel instrumentals to the likes of
Friends of Dean Martinez,
Lanterna and
Scenic, virtuoso steel player
Jon Rauhouse's neo-tiki-lounge
Steel Guitar Air Show is a 16-track reminder that pedal steel goes as well with a nice dry martini as it does with a lonely glass of beer.
Rauhouse, the former
Grievous Angel and current Bloodshot label studio ace, has teamed with picker extraordinaire Tommy Connell to form a modern version of the
Jimmy Bryant-
Wesley "Speedy" West duo that mesmerized the Southern California country scene in the '50s, and spiced up hits from the likes of
Tennessee Ernie Ford,
Johnny Horton and
Gene Autry. On
Jon Rauhouse's Steel Guitar Air Show,
Rauhouse has added a little Southwestern flavor of his own -- in the form of
Calexico's
John Convertino (drums) and
Joey Burns (bass); while adding guest vocal appearances from Bloodshot stable mates
Neko Case,
Kelly Hogan and
Sally Timms to keep the record from being truly all instrumental. If the combinations sound familiar, it's because
Rauhouse has done his steel thing for all of the above on some of their previous recordings. Here, however, it's
Rauhouse's show, from the opening classic "Glow Worm," through familiar titles like "Lonely Bull," "Choo-Choo Ch' Boogie," "Perfida" (
Timms' showcase), "The World Is Waiting for a Sunrise" (a 1951 hit for
Les Paul and Mary Ford, sung here by the full-throated
Case), and "Accentuate the Positive" (with an as nearly impressive
Hogan on vocals). In the company of songs with such memorable pedigrees,
Rauhouse's originals fare quite well in comparison, the strongest being the sinister-sounding, "Agent Burns (Theme)," and the pickers' delight, "Can O' Corn." All in all the tracks result in one of those rare discs that work as an homage to an era and its unsung heroes without sounding remotely dated. There's a shot or two of
Ennio Morricone-inspired Spaghetti Western, a dash of
Santo & Johnny, a jigger of
Esquivel with spurs, and a healthy dose of
West and
Bryant. It's a great mix, one whose light flavor shouldn't distract from the powerful punch it packs.