New West/Via
Yoakam, who rekindled the Bakersfield sound in the late 1980s to early ’90s, pays tribute to recently departed mentor and friend Buck Owens with a thoughtful song selection, bolstered by young-gun players and just enough twists to ensure that fans of both country icons will be grinnin’ when they hear the pickin’ and especially the singin’.
Dirt Farmer/Vanguard
Four albums from 1977 to 1982 — that was the extent of Helm’s solo studio output until now. Twenty-five years is a long time, but in the former Band drummer’s case, it was worth the wait.
Slide on Rye
Hill’s 1999 self-titled debut was an electric affair, a solid blues-rock effort with two or three songs displaying a penchant for Middle Eastern-accented arrangements á la Led Zeppelin or Derek Trucks. For his sophomore outing, the award-winning Arkansas singer/songwriter/guitarist takes a folk-rock route, choosing largely acoustic arrangements.
Yep Roc
Sandy and the boys started out in the mid ’90s as a retro rockabilly outfit, but soon branched out to Western swing, country, folk and even a little jazz. Following a break in which bandleader and band recorded an album apart from each other, the group reunited for the 1999 EP, “Radio Favorites,” which boasted some refreshingly exotic numbers.
Memphis International
It only takes the first few notes of “Jungle Jim” to realize Dickinson was a major contributor to the sound of “Into the Purple Valley” and “Boomer’s Story,” the Ry Cooder albums he co-produced and played keyboards on in the early ’70s.
