***1/2 Spade Cooley

SHAME ON YOU

(Bloodshot)

Several reviews of this great radio transcription have focused on Cooley's grisly murder of his wife. Yeah, the bandleader was one evil dude. But he was one accomplished dude, too. During the 1940s, he and his Western-swing crew rocked their SoCal stomping grounds with an amalgamation of polkas, shuffles, rags, blues, and improv that was every bit as developed as Bob Wills's stuff. Shame on You bounces along with a snap in its step. The odd riffs and clever arrangements help individualize the hallmarks of a style most American-music zealots are familiar with. As far as Western swing goes, Cooley did things his way. Here "I Found a New Baby" has an ominous feel, even as it invites you on the dance floor. And "Swinging the Devil's Dream" borders on a Raymond Scott design. I'll take the riff-driven instrumentals, with fiddles and accordions blazing, over the croonerly vocal tracks that feature singer Tex Williams, but each has its place, and both dancers and sit-down listeners will likely swoon to these archival chestnuts.

-- Jim Macnie