It’s tough to top your debut album when it’s a Grammy nominee, but Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley tackled the job with zest, and the duo’s new album The Country Blues ought to do at least as well as its predecessor. Both musicians are at home with acoustic and electric versions of their instruments — in Ickes’ case, that means the dobro and the lap steel, while Hensley’s an accomplished picker on both the flattop and the Telecaster — so there’s a plethora of slidey and twangy sounds on the project, underpinned by the cooking rhythm section of Mike Bub (acoustic bass) and John Alvey (drums). And while there’s a flood of instrumental virtuosity, it never undercuts the focus on Hensley’s convincing vocals, whether he’s serving up hard country or raucous blues shouting. “Contains unprocessed, all organic material,” the amusing Nutrition Facts box on the album cover explains, and that’s exactly right. JON WEISBERGER
Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley Album Release
