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Hal Peters & His String Dusters - Western Standard Time (Bluelight Records. BLR 331132) (2004)

Track listing:
  1. Late For Lovin' 2:22
  2. Eatin' Tight Out Of Your Hand 2:57
  3. Without You 2:08
  4. Time 2:34
  5. Careless Words 2:10
  6. Cigarettes, Jukebox And A Bar Room 3:35
  7. I Hear You Talkin' 3:07
  8. Take Back Your Paperheart 2:36
  9. Play The Music Louder 2:29
  10. My Front Door Is Open 2:15
  11. I Don't Love You (Grits Ain't Groceries) 1:59
  12. I'm Satisfied With You 3:00
  13. Diamonds & Cadillacs 3:00
  14. Guess Things Happen That Way 3:09

Notes

One often says that to make good country music and especially western-swing, it is necessary to be american and live in the south of the country if possible! All this is bullshit and I ‘m gonna disclose it right now : there is a band in Finland which, since many years now, forged itself a reputation whose exceeded the borders and is far from being usurped. Hal Peters and his String Dusters’ fellows form today part of the best formations of Western-Swing and this new album «Western Standard Time» proves it easily.Since their beginnings in the rockabilly music as a quartet (Hal Peters and his Trio) the combo has changed its name, stretched and moved towards a hillbilly bop and western-swing style inspired by Curtis Gordon (to whom this album is dedicated) Roy Hogsed or Hank Thompson. These accomplished musicians who divided themselves between other bands give to this album a credibility who largely exceeds a number of other bands which today launch out in this musical kind. Listen to «Late For Lovin’» a composition of Hal Peters (his real name is Heikki Laakkonen) and you will immediately be transported to Texas or Oklahomain the middle of the Fifties. The rest of the album will firmly anchor you to it during the fourteen titles with a small detour towards the rockabilly sound of Memphis with the participation of Hayden Thompson («Diamonds and Cadillacs») and the «Cash» soundalike with the cover of «Guess Things Happen That Way». Is Helsinki goin’ to overshadow Turkey as the home of Western-Swing?? Who knows.??
David Phisel