Reddhead

If you really miss Danny Gatton, then discovering a Telecaster slinger like Redd Volkaert is one of the few things that can assuage the abiding grief just a little bit. Like Gatton, Volkaert is not only possessed of superhuman chops but is also a master of multiple American music idioms — he can play jazz, country, rock, Western swing, and even note-for-note replicas of Earl Scruggs bluegrass banjo licks. On his third solo album he continues to explore a variety of country and country-related genres with his trademark blend of supreme taste, monstrous virtuosity, and sly wit. Particularly noteworthy are a deceptively simple-sounding arrangement of the great Buddy Emmons twin-guitar workout "Raisin' the Dickens," a startlingly dark cover version of "The Letter," a flat-out rocking version of "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," and several delicious slabs of honky tonk and Western swing, as well as a great program-closing prison weeper. Volkaert's voice is nothing to write home about, but it's perfectly serviceable, and when it's delivering couplets like "Just because I don't care/Doesn't mean I don't understand," you'll swear it's perfect just the way it is. This guy is a national treasure.