Daredevil

Guitar slinger/producer Pete Anderson is one of those men behind the curtain, like Daniel Lanois or Brian Eno. His lofty lonesome twang on Dwight Yoakam’s “Thousand Miles from Nowhere” caught my ear years ago, to the point of my wondering, “Who’s that great picker?” Turns out he was producing Yoakam, as well as people like Roy Orbison and Buck Owens. Anderson’s recent all-instrumental CD Daredevil shows the same stellar chops and a producer’s crafty ear. His melodic guitar compositions have a tasteful economy to them. “My Little Angel” reminds me of when I first went to see surf movies, and the Ventures-like guitar would creep in at that salient moment of freedom. Beyond theory and analysis—it’s just beautiful. “The New World Cakewalk,” with its funky, humorous tuba, is an easy stroll. Cakewalks were a scandalous musical form in 1910; here it’s a laid-back form of funk. Anderson plays most all the other instruments as well, such as hammered dulcimer on “Ballad of Los Barilles,” and effective harmonica chording on “Baby Done Something Wrong.” His cinematic overview, great playing and composition make this a record I will always listen to.