Deke Dickerson & The Ecco-Fonics "In 3 Dimensions" 2003

Dickerson's at the top of his game across the board, trading in his penchant for novelty tunes in favor of a sophisticated and sly sense of humor, and gathering around him musicians that rock, swing and twang like a latter day Commander Cody's Lost Planet Airmen.Rootsy singer-guitarist Deke Dickerson's first effort for his own Major Label Records may very well be his strongest yet. His HighTone albums, though musically outstanding, were often marred by retro campiness that a lesser musician might have needed but Dickerson never did. In 3 Dimensions, inspired by the title of an early Chet Atkins LP, he covers rock & roll, rockabilly, and hillbilly. Aided by legendary R&B studio drummer Earl Palmer, pianist Carl Sonny Leyland, Los Straitjackets bassist Pete Curry, and the remarkable guitar-steel duo Dave Biller and Jeremy Wakefield, Dickerson offers an explosive, dazzling blend of covers and originals. He never falters, whether tackling Charlie Rich's "Sittin' and Thinkin'," putting a New Orleans-R&B spin on Johnny and Jack's "I Get So Lonely," or tearing through the original "Wear Out the Soles of My Shoes." While instrumental prowess dominates Rusty Draper's "Gambler's Guitar" and the bonus track, Bob Wills's instrumental "Fat Boy Rag," he outdoes himself vocally on lusty revivals of Faron Young's "I'm Gonna Live Some Before I Die" and Rodney Scott's "Bitter Tears." - by Rich Kienzletrax:

1. I Might Not Come Home at All 2. Top of the Line 3. Ain't Got a Reason 4. I Get So Lonely 5. Sittin' and Thinkin' 6. Wear Out the Soles of My Shoes 7. Take the Long Way Home 8. It Would Be a Doggone Lie 9. Let's Go Wild Tonight 10. Bitter Tears 11. You've Been Honky Tonkin' 12. Too Hot to Handle 13. Knoxville Boogie 14. Gambler's Guitar 15. Pinball Boogie 16. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 17. I'm Gonna Live Some Before I Die