Marty Stuart – Way Out West

Marty Stuart has always been a traditionalist. While that hasn’t changed on his new release “Way Out West”, he has created a dreamy landscape on which this collection of songs exist. He utilizes instrumental songs to lead into each story song that makes up this project. To borrow the term Gram Parsons coined, Stuart delivers cosmic American music with velvety smooth vocals. The atmosphere is equally psychedelic and spaghetti western, with a little bit of cheap trucker speed to keep it going.

The album begins with “Desert Prayer” a short interlude using a Native American vibe that Stuart is so fond of invoking in his music; this leads to the instrumental “Mojave” that sets the tone for the rest of the songs. The first vocal song, “Lost ob the Desert”, conjures up classic Marty Robbins and is perfect for Stuarts crooner styling. The title cut “Way Out West” tells the story of a trucker on a mind altering and somewhat twisted journey. This leads into the instrumental “Fantasmo Del Toro”, which is followed by “Old Mexico”. You can almost see Clint Eastwood riding through the desert in “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. Stuart takes the Bakersfield sound and kicks into high gear on the song “Air Mail Special”. One of the most effective instrumentals is Torpedo, which employs Dick Dale style guitar riffs and is a perfect segue in the middle of the album. “Whole Lotta Highway” would be a great Country hit if it wasn’t too smart for today’s Nashville. Without a doubt Stuart covers a lot of territory on this project.

“Way Out West” draws from a diverse pallet of styles. Stuart has taken these styles using instrumental numbers to tie the songs together. Add to that a singer that has perhaps the best set of pipes in the genre and you have an instant classic.

---

About the author:  Chip and his family live in Birmingham, AL. Roll Tide!

---