Latest releases reviewed

BILL KIRCHEN
Hammer of the Honky Tonk
Gods Proper
***

Already this looks a likely contender for album title of the year. The hammer in question is the Fender Telecaster and the man playing it is one of the major figures of roots guitar. Bill Kirchen was a member of the legendary Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, a band who flew through the '70s and '80s with an inspired brand of off-the-wall swingabilly and humour. Since then he has been a regular session player while also releasing a number of solo albums, but this is his first for British label Proper. Joined by such veterans as Nick Lowe and Geraint Watkins on a mixture of classy covers and good originals Kirchen's performance is a model of tasteful licks and snappy arrangements that reveal the depth of his knowledge and love of American roots music. Unfortunately, his voice is weak,limited in its range and tone. www.billkirchen.com

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
Live from Austin, Tx
New West
***

Ray Benson's Asleep at the Wheel almost single-handedly kept the genre of western swing alive in the '70s and '80s. It is a particularly Texan music, a complex though light-fingered marriage of jazz and country originating with Bob Will's Texas Playboys, a couple of whom were honourably enlisted for this 1992 television special, including legendary fiddle player Johnny Gimble. Western swing in its modern guise has always had a sense of irony to power it whether it is on the crooning ballads or the swinging blasts of boogie coloured by punchy brass and evocative steel guitar. The pacing of this collection is a little soft, but a sense of fun and affection is never far away. Also available on DVD. www.newwestrecords.com