Wanda Jackson
was, and, it seems, remains, almost 50 years later, the undisputed queen of
rockabilly
. Her self-titled comeback album from 2001 was a stellar example of her remaining
rock & roll
swagger, but this time out, she has a host of the faithful famous paying tribute.
Dave Alvin
,
Elvis Costello
the Cramps
Lee Rocker
, and
the Cadillac Angels
all join the rollicking festivities. Given a killer collection of songs, such as
Paul Kennerley
's title track with backing vocal support from
Siedah Garrett
, to a smoking version of
the Louvin Brothers
'
"Cash on the Barrelhead,"
to the wooly instrumentation on some cuts -- such as
burning through
Charlie McCoy
's
"Funnel of Love"
with her --
Jackson
's range seems indomitable and her voice is still in fine shape.
Rosie Flores
' help on the swinging
"Woman Walk Out the Door"
is a modern
honky tonk
masterpiece. The duet with
Costello
, a moving version of
Buck Owens
"Crying Time,"
is simply one of the finest
country
-duet performances out there and deserves a Grammy. But it's on the tracks on which
appears with her band, such as
"Mean Mean Man,"
"Riot in Cell Block No. 9,"
and
"It Happens Every Time"
(
Alvin
plays guitar on them, but does not sing) with
handling all the vocals that work the best. Simply put, this is a
dream, full of raw, sharp performances, killer songs, and
's irrepressible ability to take even the most innocent song and make it salacious. ~ Thom Jurek