Webb Wilder: “Born to be Wilder”
PERFORMER: Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks (www.blindpigrecords.com)
CD: “Born to be Wilder” (Landslide/Blind Pig)
Aside from being a shoo-in for 2008’s best CD, this live offering proves that after some years treading water, the irrepressible Webb Wilder is back. His Empty Glass show last June was one of the year’s best — thanks in part to guitarist Tony Bowles (who had been in town just a few weeks earlier as part of Hank Jr.’s colossal entourage). Bowles is simply one of the most consummate rock ’n’ roll guitarists out there.
If you missed Webb’s Empty Glass show, this is a reasonable facsimile, with Webb & Co. reprising songs that date back to his must-have 1986 debut “It Came From Nashville” (“How Long Can She Last” and the rock-m-pop gem “One Taste of the Bait”). It also has the gritty Webb standards like “Human Cannonball” and “Poolside,” the twang-heavy instrumental “Sputnik” and the funky-spunky “Louisiana Hannah” as well as “If You’re Looking For a Fool,” Webb’s version of a ballad. If there was any doubt about Webb’s sass, a killer, caffeinated version of “Baby Please Don’t Go” — with some improvised rap — should silence any naysayers.
— By Michael Lipton
