Dan Hicks & The Acoustic Warriors - Shootin' Straight (1994)

In an ideal world, Dan Hicks would be headlining huge sports arenas. But in the real world, someone that hard to categorize is a marketing person's nightmare. Is he Western swing, country-rock, folk, or rock & roll? Hicks is a variety of things. But his followers love him just the way he is; those are the people who will savor Shootin' Straight, which was recorded live at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Los Angeles in 1994. Backed by his Acoustic Warriors band, the singer/songwriter is totally uncompromising during his inspired set. Hicks is as humorous and eccentric as ever, and his McCabe's appearance is extremely difficult to categorize. The material owes a lot to pre-bebop jazz, but it also owes a lot to country, rock, folk, and blues. From a marketing standpoint, that's extremely frustrating -- from the standpoint of Hicks' small but enthusiastic group of followers, that's what makes him special. If you're the sort of eclectic, adventurous listener who holds Django Reinhardt, Bob Wills, Hank Snow, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Pete Seeger in equally high regard, you can't help but admire the adventurous spirit that Hicks brings to McCabe's. Although excellent, Shootin' Straight isn't Hicks' most essential release. But it's an album that his confirmed fans will find to be consistently rewarding.