One of the true masters of the electric Fender Telecaster, Arlen Ross shows his talents on acoustic guitar, as well as mandolin and slide on this comfy back porch tribute to down home folk and blues. He’s got a nice voice, teamed up with Alex Salzman on keyboards and bass, with all of the tunes filled with comfort food.
His touch on the blue tones is a joy on Blind Blake’s “Diddy Wah Diddy” and some fun rural New Orleans sounds are well picked on Allen Toussaint’s “Java”. 1960s folk is strummed and sung on “Walk Right In” and “Everybody’s Talkin” with the moss hanging well on “Blue Bayou”. Roth’s own “Playing Out The String” is as inspiring a back porch ode as anything else here. Picking and grinning.