UnrefinedSugarBeats
The Toronto-based and “nearly instrumental” Henrys, founded in 1990 by last original member Don Rooke (reunited here on four tracks with bassist Paul Pasmore of the original duo), previously dabbled in mostly wordless vocals by elusive chanteuse Mary Margaret O’Hara.
self-released
Fans of Allman Brothers Band instrumentals are guaranteed to love this tastefully executed instrumental electric guitar album with plenty of slide. But besides the southern-rock vibe, Pennsylvania-based Roth impressively channels jazz masters such as Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour and, to a lesser extent but just as effectively, funk greats like Steve Cropper and Leo Nocentelli.
self-released
They call him Mr. Smooth for good reason: His stylings are like silk. What’s more, his tone can’t be topped and he likes to mix things up with unexpected staccato bursts.
Country Discovery
One of the things that made late ’60s/early ’70s country rock so great was pedal steel guitar. There was something pleasantly anachronistic about hearing that old-fashioned sound amid electric guitars and hard-chargin’ rhythm sections.
self-released
The journey off pedal steel guitar’s beaten path continues with Perlowin’s third release: First he proved the instrument capable of rendering classical standards with unspeakable beauty on “Firebird Suite”; then he tackled Leonard Bernstein’s multicultural “West Side Story” with such aplomb it was like hearing the masterwork anew; now he takes listeners on an auditory voyage to the Mediterranean and unearths some sublimely exotic “Spanish Steel.”
