Sleepy LaBeef - I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down
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I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down (Rounder, 1996)

Sleepy LaBeef

Reviewed by George Hauenstein

High energy, roots rock and roll and hillbilly blues have been Sleepy LaBeef's calling card for five decades. Sleepy has a voice as big as all outdoors and is truly deserving of a wider recognition than he currently possesses. Though he doesn't break a lot of new ground here, his latest will not disappoint his fans. Rather it captures the essence of his live performances.

Backed by a cracker-jack band including guitar-wiz, Duke Levine, Sleepy burns through uptempo numbers "Treat Me Like a Dog," "Hillbilly Guitar Boogie" (a medly of "I Wouldn't Lay My Guitar Down" and "Hillbilly Boogie"), "Columbus Stockade Blues" and "Sick and Tired" with such a fury that it's near impossible to keep your toes and fingers from tapping. His treatment of slower, more bluesy numbers ("You Know I Love You") is equally enjoyable. His cover of Tony Joe White's "Roosevelt and Ira Lee" is one of the best cuts on the record. The album ends on a very special note, with the gospel-tinged, "The Open Door, "written by Sleepy's 15-year old daughter, Jesse Mai.

This is a very enjoyable album. In a business where artists put out to pasture all to early, it's great to hear that Sleep[y is still making it sound as easy and as fresh as ever.




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