I, Flathead [Slipcase] (CD - 2008)

Personnel: Ry Cooder (vocals, guitar, mandolin, electric piano, bass guitar); Juliette Commagere (vocals); Flaco Jiménez (accordion); Gil Bernal (tenor saxophone); Anthony Gil (bass saxophone); Ron Blake , Jon Hassell (trumpet); Francisco Torres (trombone); Martin Pradler (electric piano, drums); Joachim Cooder (drums, timbales); Jim Keltner (drums).

Audio Mixer: Martin Pradler.

Recording information: Little Pink Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Sage And Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Norton Allen; Fernando Ruleas.

Arranger: Jesús Guzmán.

Guitarist/singer Ry Cooder is one of the original Americana/roots-rockers, and has been exploring the nooks and crannies of American music since the 1960s. I, FLATHEAD finds Cooder delving into blues, country, jazz, Western swing, and more. On some tracks, Cooder pays specific tribute to his musical heroes, name-checking pedal steel guitar legend Speedy West on "Steel Guitar Heaven," and serving up tunes named for Johnny Cash and Western swing sultan Spade Cooley. However traditional the setting, though, Cooder's raw, Captain Beefheart-like voice (he appeared on the Captain's first LP, SAFE AS MILK) keeps things agreeably quirky throughout the album. minimize