Mellow slice of cosmic americana.
Joe Harvey-Whyte is one of the UK’s most in demand pedal steel guitar players, known for his session work with artists as diverse as Alabama 3 and Billy Bragg as well as his wildly experimental soundtrack/installation compositions. Joe first met Bobby Lee in 2017 when Bobby was moonlighting in GospelbeacH on their first UK tour and Joe’s previous band, The Hanging Stars, were supporting. Staying in touch ever since, in 2023, the pair brought together the Cosmic Country Revue, also featuring fellow drum machine/twang addict Jeffrey Silverstein for two sold out UK tours. It was during this first instalment of the CCR that the idea of this collaboration first came together.
The UK pair bonded over their broad-church approach to cosmic country and, individually, they’re both rare torchbearers of ambient americana on this side of the pond. ‘Last Ride’ brings together Harvey-Whyte’s ambient pedal steel and Lee’s psych-country guitar for an unashamedly experimental, and, in the main, extremely mellow set of instrumentation. The only vocal contribution on display comes courtesy of LA-based Swimming Bell, aka Katie Schottland, on ‘Smoke Signals’. Sounding like an acid-induced trip from the Summer of Love, the track has a dream-like flow and repeated riff that, perhaps because of that vocal, stands out as a highlight here.
‘Plainsong’ utilises a guitar previously owned by fellow British country rock lifer Iain Matthews, which was gifted to Joe after he backed up the former Fairport Convention/Matthews Southern Comfort legend on some live shows.
The pair employ a drum machine to good effect at times to give a little extra resonance and tempo to some tracks but, for the most part, the instrumentals have a laid back, mellow feel to them that wouldn’t be out of a place as accompaniment to a satisfying massage. For two such renowned guitarists there is an admirable restraint to proceedings with the duo working perfectly in harmony, one never trying to outshine the other. Overall, the sense that this is an experimental dive into collaboration is never far away, with one track often seeming to morph seamlessly, one to the next, like a long classical piece, with only subtle changes of gear. The result is an album that is pleasing on the ear but, that one vocal track aside, is happy to meander, inoffensively in the background.
