David Lindley is for the fun-loving music adventurer. This generous 75-minute record approximates his vivacious live performances. He consistently delivers the most unique and musically diverse shows. Lindley is highly respected for his instrumental artistry; he’s provided his skill on hundreds of records so you’ve probably heard him without knowing it. He does not have a major record company contract.

David fits my hero model of the old time guitar slinger. He heads out to conquer the world with just his bundle of talent, raw nerve, and his collection of instruments. He plays one instrument at a time for all it’s worth and doesn’t fill up a stage with a wall of technical devices. Wally Ingram is so self-assured that he doesn’t need to settle behind an overextended drum kit to show off how much he might know. Nevertheless, Lindley & Ingram dazzle the audiences.

Twango Bango Deluxe was recorded at the House of Love and at various locations throughout the U.S. What you hear is what you get, and this is all created “live” just as they play onstage, with no studio gimmickry. As Lindley is bent on exploring the individual possibilities of each song he plays, the substance comes from the approach to the music. There is no underestimating the power of a song when given a unique new treatment by capable hands. This record also expresses all those wonderful human qualities such as warmth, humor, passion, and personality. I’m happy to find that here more especially because these very traits are lacking in so many other recordings. I know it takes time to learn to use a technology effectively. In the meantime, people are getting tired of the cold sound that computer-recording technology imposes on most forms of music and the false conviviality of contrived rhythms. That might explain why “live” concert recordings are becoming a hot item in the market place.

This CD is the real deal. Here’s a different version of “live,” which is music created “live” with one take in the studio. I saw them perform and they could do this on stage so there is no minimizing their phenomenal skill. Hard to pick any single favorite, but I especially enjoy “New Minglewood Blues/45 Blues” and dearly love the three closing songs, the grand burning finale of “Pay Bo Diddley,” “People Sure Act Funny,” and “Cottonmill Blues.” People interested in recording should listen to this, if they want to strive for more than the commonplace and hope to communicate the feel of real music as it is really played. Others will probably just love the CD for what it is, wonderfully skilled and fun-filled music that sparkles up any environment. Twango Bango Deluxe is available at www.davidlindley.com.