Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys "Swingin' West" 1995

The follow-up to a strong 1994 debut, Swingin' West continues the Western swing and rockin' hillbilly assault that first endeared the California-based Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys to fans and critics alike…...While many rockabilly outfits derive their sound primarily from artists from the 1950s, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys are a more accurate take on the style, venturing back into the '30 and '40s to tap the influences for legends such as Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent. With the lead guitar/steel guitar combination of Ashley Kingman and Lee Jeffriess -- both originally out of Britain's rockabilly scene -- the five-piece band is fully empowered to explore Western swing, jump blues, and hillbilly boogie, while still injecting originality to make the sound unique. Big Sandy (aka Robert Williams) possesses a big rich, molasses-coated voice that is engaging throughout this 15-song set. Produced once again by Dave "Everything-I-Touch-Turns-into-Musical-Gold" Alvin, Swingin' West captures the energy of the band's live show intact. Highlights include the Latin-influenced rhythms of "Hey Muchachita" and the vintage dancehall-like call-and-response vocalizing on "We Tried to Tell You." - AllMusic Review by Jack Leavertrax:
01 Let Me In There, Baby 02 Music to Her Ears 03 You Don't Matter Anymore 04 My Sinful Days Are Over 05 Parts Unknown 06 Too Late to Be True 07 Hey Muchachita 08 Why Do You Have to Torture Me? 09 Blackberry Wine 10 Murphy's Law 11 If I Wrote a Song (About Our L 12 We Tried to Tell You 13 You Say You Don't (But You Do) 14 A Healer like Time 15 The New Ball