About.com CD Review

Burrito Deluxe - Disciples of the Truth
From _Kathy Coleman_ (mailto:raif51@cox.net)

Bottom Line:
Burrito Deluxe was founded in 2000 by "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, pedal steel virtuoso and co- founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers, one of the bands to create the signature country-rock sound of the 70's. Together with other legendary players from that singular era, Kleinow re- creates that sound for a modern audience with this new set of Burritos, and their sound is as solid and country as Americana music can get. From the opening bars of "Out of the Wilderness" straight through to "Who's Gonna Love You," it's 12 solid songs on one solid disc.

Burrito Deluxe is comprised of Kleinow on pedal steel; Carlton Moody playing guitar and mandolin, as well as taking on the role of lead singer; Walter Egan, who also plays guitar along with lead and harmony vocals; Jeff "Stick" Davis plays electric and upright bass; Richard Bell (formerly of The Band) plays piano; and Bryan Owings on drums. Joining them on this disc is Mike Daly on pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro; Al Perkins on pedal steel and dobro; Cindy Cashdollar on dobro; Barry "Byrd" Burton on guitars; Craig Krampf on drums and percussion; Rick Lonow on drums and percussion; Daniel Dugmore on pedal steel and banjo; and Richard Ferreira on rhythm guitar. See all those pedal steel players? Is it any wonder why I like this disc? Unfortunately, great tragedy accompanies this fine work, as it's the last from "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, who passed away on January 6, 2007. The Burritos contend they will remain together, and while there will never be a "replacement" for Kleinow, their stable of featured guest guitarists will carry that torch for as long as they want to record. This is good to know, because it doesn't come much better than this one for country music lovers. It's a continual source of humor for me that so much of the best country music these days is coming from classic rock artists, but that's the score - so toss in this disc and listen to some real down-home country music from some phenomenal players and great writers, and just enjoy.

I was pleased overall with the general quality of this disc - nothing actually shot out at me as the absolute WOW, but you know, you don't need that with everything. It's an extremely comforting disc in many ways - simple, solid, ordinary country music, with no bells and whistles, no "whoo!" blasting out at you, no screaming guitars - just a plain, honest sound. There's some real standout tracks, like "Encino," "Midnight at a Red Light," "Front Row Seats to Heaven," and one of my favorite songs in all the world, "Wichita," which I was introduced to by John Corbett last year; the Burritos do a bang-up version here. I've never been to that city, but judging by the quality of songs about it, it must be a very special place (think about it - Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman," Ty England's "Collect from Wichita," Shawn Colvin's "Wichita Skyline," heck, the list just goes on and on...). There's also the strong opening track, "Out of the Wilderness," and the rockin' title track, too, featuring some smokin' lead guitar. Heck, there's not a weak song on this disc. Like I said, solid. They don't forget their country-rockin' roots.