Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
★★★★
Altitude
SNAKEFARM. CD/DL/LP
Umpteenth album by country legend who can do it all.
As a teenager he played in bluegrass legend Lester Flatt’s band, he spent six years touring with Johnny Cash, and 20 years ago gathered his own backing band, the Fabulous Superlatives. Twenty-plus albums down the line, Marty Stuart has seen it, done it, and is doing it all again. Altitude hits all the Stuart hallmarks, jingle-jangling through the Byrdsian Sitting Alone, bringing the low-down twang to Country Star and Vegas, surfing vibes on Tomahawk and roadhouse brawling for Time To Dance. The ease with which he flits between styles is matched by the light touch of his lyrics, particularly on the Jimmy Webb-like gentle introspection of The Sun Is Quietly Sleeping. And although the concept behind the Lost Byrd Space Train trilogy of instrumental tracks may be unclear, their unlikely hints of psychedelia only enrich a masterclass album.