CD HOTLIST

by Rick Anderson

American music has always been a kaleidoscope of incredibly diverse styles, genres, and fusions, and Western swing has always been one of the best things to emerge from that welter of musical influences. Taking the rhythms of hot jazz and blending them with Texas fiddle tunes and cowboy songs, Western swing became one of America’s most distinctive musical innovations. It emerged at around the same time that the repertoire known as the “American Songbook” was solidifying in the national consciousness, which makes Deborah Silver’s new album particular apt: on it she’s backed up by Asleep at the Wheel, the foremost living exponents of Western swing tradition, as she sings such standards as “I Got Rhythm,” “Ballin’ the Jack,” and “Embraceable You.” Her singing style is equal parts jazz club and Broadway stage, while the band’s pitch-perfect arrangements and impeccable sense of swing, honed over a 50-year career, create a solid but nimble foundation for her vocals. This is a joyful and engaging album, just what we need at the end of an exhausting year.