Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers – Honky Tonk Revival
Houston singer and fiddle player Leslie Lindley and her guitar-slinging husband Randy, a former member of honky-tonk bluegrassers Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show, front a convincing hard-country band on this promising debut that features a bunch of originals by Randy’s former bandmate Jake Jenkins and some well-selected covers by the likes of Loretta Lynn and Bobby Osborne. Texas music enthusiasts will recognize steel man Ricky Davis’ touch, but the Juke-Jointers are more than competent on their own behind Leslie’s big voice, and it’s a pleasure to hear how deeply grounded they are in the style. Connie Smith is the most obvious influence on the singing, but Lindley is well on her way to her own voice, offering an engaging persona deep enough to convincingly portray both the woman who misses her honky-tonkin’ man and the one who hits the bars on her own.