Crazy Legs

Evoking Westbound labelmate and fellow Detroiter Dennis Coffey sans the myriad layers of shag-carpet fuzz, Donald Austin's Crazy Legs is a collection of psychedelic funk instrumentals every bit as physical and wild as its title portends. Austin leans more to the heavier end of the guitar-god spectrum -- more Hendrix than Hazel, if you will -- and the muscular grooves that galvanize all 13 of the album's brief but memorable tracks are relatively unique within the Westbound catalog. Still, for all its mass and density, Crazy Legs remains light on its feet, the grooves are relentless, and the playing is top-notch. ~ Jason Ankeny