In the hands of the wily
Webb Wilder and the Nashvegans, you can expect superb and eclectic taste in covers, with spunky, entertaining delivery. Town & Country offers 16 quick flashes ranging from
the Flamin' Groovies classic "Slow Death" and
The Music Machine's "Talk Talk" (the "Town") to
Waylon Jennings's "Nashville Bum" and
Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Living Long Like This" (the "Country"). On the way, there are plenty of pitstops for obscure rockabilly and R&B (
Lazy Lester,
Jerry "Boogie" McCain) and various phases of British Invasion (
Small Faces,
Mott the Hoople). It all works on paper, but given
Wilder's deserved reputation as a primo roadhouse machine, Town & Country doesn't completely satisfy. Recycled spoken interludes are too self-consciously hammy, while performances spark but rarely fully ignite. The disc falters mostly by
Webb's own high standards; overall, these sessions still make decent, high-volume highway accompaniment that sum up the
Webb Wilder credo: "Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em." ~ Roch Parisien