Way Out West [LP]

by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Marty Stuart

Overview

Ever since forming his backing group the Fabulous Superlatives in 2003, Marty Stuart has specialized in exploring various paths in country music's past. Way Out West, his 2017 album, continues this tradition by taking them and his crew out west to collaborate with Heartbreaker Mike Campbell in a fevered Fantasia of cowboys, truck drivers, surfers, and other rebels. The brilliant thing about Way Out West is that Stuart doesn't limit himself to either the pile-driving sounds of Bakersfield or the burnished country & western sounds of Hollywood cowhands. Each of these styles gets its own showcase -- "Air Mail Special" rampages like the best of the Buckaroos, "Old Mexico" splits the difference between Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins -- but Stuart not only swaps these sounds, he synthesizes them, so Way Out West winds up playing like an idealized version of California country. To that end, he even incorporates the big jangle of the Byrds -- "Time Don't Wait" rings and swirls like prime 1966 psychedelia, a move that shouldn't come as a surprise with Campbell as the album's producer -- and creates a holy ruckus on "Quicksand," which plays like Link Wray teaming with a Cosmic American honky tonk band to play a dive in Santa Monica, or "Please Don't Say Goodbye," a shimmering desert ballad that hints at the lush soundscapes of Lee Hazlewood. For anybody familiar with the rich traditions of West Coast country and roots music, it's fun to spot the influences on Way Out West, but this is neither an exercise nor a history listen. Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives are having an outright blast indulging in their imagined wild west, and the end results are so clever and kinetic, they're difficult to resist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/10/2017
Label:	Superlatone
UPC:	0857223004656
Rank:	35644

Tracks

1. Desert Prayer, Pt. 1
2. Mojave
3. Lost on the Desert
4. Way Out West
5. El Fantasma Del Toro
6. Old Mexico
7. Time Don't Wait
8. Quicksand
9. Air Mail Special
10. Torpedo
11. Please Don't Say Goodbye
12. Whole Lotta Highway (With a Million Miles to Go)
13. Desert Prayer, Pt. 2
14. Wait for the Morning
15. Way Out West (Reprise)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives   Primary Artist
Marty Stuart   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Paul Martin   Vocal Harmony,Bass (Electric)
Kenny Vaughan   Guitar,Omnichord,Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Kristin Wilkinson   Viola
David Davidson   Violin
Mike Campbell   Piano,Guitar,Pump Organ,Vibraphone,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
David Angell   Violin
Chris Scruggs   Bass,Sitar,Vocals,Vocal Harmony,Bass (Upright),Guitar (Steel),Bass (Electric)
Sam Bacco   Timpani
Harry Stinson   Bass,Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Vocal Harmony,Spanish Guitar
Mick Conley   Bass,Guitar,Synthesizer
Sari Reist   Cello
Gary Carter   Guitar (Steel)
Everette Helper   Chant,Drums

Technical Credits

Jimmy Mundy   Composer
Kenny Vaughan   Composer
Kristin Wilkinson   String Arrangements
Benny Goodman   Composer
Martin Pradler   Engineer
Marty Stuart   Composer
Mike Campbell   Producer
Brian Glenn Nolf   Composer
Chris Scruggs   Composer
Harry Stinson   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Vocal Arrangement
Mick Conley   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Buddy Mize   Composer
Dallas Frazier   Composer
Collin Dupuis   Engineer
Chuck Turner   Engineer
Charlie Paakkari   Engineer
Charles Christian   Composer
Alysse Gafkjen   Photography
Ric Alessio   Design,Art Direction
Amanda Miller   String Engineer