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Editorial Reviews

There may never have been a more complementary pair of guitarists than Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. Atkins was a clean and elegant picker, Reed raucous and gregarious, but the two played without tension; they fit perfectly, with Jerry loosening up Chet while Atkins offered a tight counterpoint. This 2009 Raven two-fer combines their two earliest duets, 1970's Me & Jerry and its 1971 sequel, Me & Chet, adding six selections from Atkins' 1974 Picks on Jerry Reed, where Chet paid solo tribute to his friend, plus two signature songs from Reed, "The Claw" and "Alabama Jubilee."

Me & Jerry may be the first of Chet & Jerry's recorded duets, but it's so relaxed in its interplay that it's clear that the two guitarists had been picking together for a long time. It's that smooth, easy feel that's the chief appeal of Me & Jerry, but it's also deceptive, hiding just how clever the duo's rearrangements of "MacArthur Park" and "Something" are. Then again, virtuosity is always more appealing when it doesn't call attention to itself, a trap Atkins and Reed always avoid here. The two simply lay back and play, trading lines and licks with an easy grace, having so much fun that it's impossible to not share in their joy. Released a year after Me & Jerry, Me & Chet is decidedly more produced than its predecessor -- there are traces of strings and wah-wah guitars, modern rhythms bubbling underneath the surface -- but the pleasures remain the same. It's still a gas to hear Reed and Atkins trade off licks, to intertwine their lines so smoothly it'd be hard to tell where one began and one ended, if they weren't separated into their own speakers (Jerry on the left, Chet on the right). Me & Chet doesn't rely on pop hits the way Me & Jerry does -- "Mystery Train" and "I Saw the Light" are the two big hits here, sitting next to Liszt's "Liebestraum," Cindy Walker's "Flying South," and a fair number of copyrights by Jerry, along with Chet's "Nashtown Ville" -- so the focus is almost entirely on the picking, which remains a pure pleasure to hear.

The six bonus tracks here come from Atkins' Picks on Jerry Reed, where Chet runs through some of Reed's original songs, relying on an electric guitar instead of the acoustic that dominated the two duet albums. Atkins gives these enjoyably clean readings, but it can sometimes drift toward sleepiness; he could have used a little bit of Reed's exuberance, which is plainly evident on the set's last two bonus tracks from Reed -- his signature "The Claw" and "Alabama Jubilee," the only song with a lead vocal here. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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