This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
When the alt-country league starts handing out trophies, Jon Rauhouse has a lock on the MVP award.
A talented picker on everything from pedal steel and guitar to banjo and mandolin, Rauhouse has backed up everyone from Neko Case and Kelly Hogan to Jon Langford and The Waco Brothers. On his second solo album Steel Guitar Rodeo, he finally makes time to pull a few strings on his own behalf. With a little help from some of his more famous friends, Rauhouse showcases his prodigious talents with an eclectic set list that encompasses zippy country swing, torch ’n’ twang balladry, cartoon-theme zaniness, back-porch bluegrass and bluesy surfabilly. He even steps up to the mic for a few tunes, though Rauhouse seems far more comfortable pickin’ than he does croonin.’ You know what they say: Once a sideman, always a sideman.
