Parasol Records
2006
You Showed Me
About This Album
Former Beat Rodeo frontman Steve Almaas must be confused about the way rock & roll career arcs are supposed to rise (or fall). Working in a genre propped up by the twin pillars of youth and image, he's doing his best work in his forties. A series of criminally ignored solo albums in the '90s pointed the way to a new introspective direction, and the eponymous 2002 duets album with girlfriend and former Speedball Baby bassist Ali Smithsealed the deal, with Almaas and Smith buffing up their sweet Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris harmonies on a series of country-tinged retro-pop tunes. You Showed Me does nothing to reverse the upward trend. Equally inspired by the classic country duets of the '60s (think George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn), and the chiming guitar work of Roger McGuinn, Almaas and Smith have crafted a modest little pop gem that works just fine in the new millennium. The opening title track, originally a minor hit for the Byrds and the Turtles, unveils the template that is used throughout -- heavily reverbed guitars and heavenly harmonies. Although Almaas and Smith both take solo turns, this is primarily a duets outing, and the material is impressively eclectic.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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