Original rockabilly basso profundo
Sleepy LaBeef returned with
I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down and the great news was that it's even better than the last album he had put out on the Rounder imprint, the truly involved
Strange Things Happening. Like the last one, this biscuit is produced by
Jake Guralnick (who guests on lap steel and guitar) and features
Duke Levine on guitar,
Paul Bryan on bass,
Dave Keyes on piano, and the right-in-the-pocket
Lisa Pankratz on drums. For his part,
LaBeef tears through 11 country, rockabilly, rock & roll, and bluesy favorites, giving each of them the flattening stamp of his whole personality. When
LaBeef's into it, he's just the best, and this time it's evident by his screams and yelps that the pilot light was lit full blast. If your idea of rockabilly is some guy with a pompadour hiccuping himself into an early grave, do yourself a favor and pick up
I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down.
LaBeef may have been 60 years old, but he knew how to rock; after all, he was there when they invented it. ~ Cub Koda