Albert Lee: Tearing It Up

While never a household name, country music lovers in general and guitar freaks especially know all about guitarist-singer Albert Lee. Born in England in 1943, Lee made his name on this side of the pond when he joined Emmylou Harris's Hot Band in the 1970s (replacing the legendary James Burton), where he combined flat- and finger-picking techniques to create a round, clean sound, delivered with startling speed. All of which is on display in this 14-song 2006 performance from Los Angeles. In one of three interview segments with Lee included in the bonus material, he confesses that Chet Atkins once described his style as “noodling,” and there's some of that here, too. Lee's band is excellent, including two other fine soloists—pianist JT Thomas and pedal steel guitarist Randle Currie—and the choice of material is impeccable, with songs by Gram Parsons (“Luxury Liner”), Rodney Crowell (“'Til I Gain Control Again”), Richard Thompson (“Dimming of the Day”), Felice and Boudleaux Bryant (writers of many Everly Brothers standards), John Hiatt (“Rock of Your Love”), and others. Still, this show is somehow more admirable than engaging—partially due to the fact that the band is playing in a sterile setting with no apparent audience, so there are none of those electrifying moments that can occur during a concert. Perhaps for the same reason, Lee's guitar sound is on the thin side, for the most part failing to cut through when he launches into another quicksilver solo. Despite those drawbacks, there is still much to like here. Presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo, additional extras include text bios and a 12-page booklet with song lyrics. Recommended. (S. Graham)