The Western Swing Authority - Big Deal
In this week's episode, we're featuring the fourth album from Canada's Western Swing Authority: "Big Deal" (2018). Fronted by husband and wife team Shane Guse (fiddle, vocals) and Stacey Lee Guse (vocals), the Western Swing Authority is a seven-piece act based around Ontario. Their music is big, bright and appealing: much like Haggard helped bring Bob Wills to a 70s audience, the WSA take the traditions of the music pioneered by Wills and his contemporaries and present it in a way you won't hear anywhere else in 2018. Packed with fiddle breakdowns and steel solos, the WSA have plucked help from every corner of Canadian music, especially giving contemporary Canadian country stars in George Canyon, Jason McCoy and Jason Blaine a chance to sing on something a little more traditional than usual. These genre-busting collaborations will only help the propagation of this uniquely American artform. Highlights on "Big Deal" include a dynamite rendition of Hoyle Nix's "Big Ball's In Cowtown", the prohibition-esque "Swingin' From The Rafters" and my personal favourite, the straight-country heart and soul included in "This Old Bar". The music itself is delivered in an incredibly fun, infectious and accessible yet traditional manner - with a little more exposure, the WSA could be the act to bring western swing to a 21st century audience. Here's hoping!