Listening to the Carolyn Sills Combo, you might do a double-take: Is this newly fashioned country music, or a long-lost 1950s or ’60s band coming out of the ether?

The combo is indeed that good. Guitarist Gerard Egan channels Grady Martin or Chet Atkins – or better yet, himself. Charlie Joe Wallace’s steel guitar and Dobro are period perfect. And riding atop, Sills’ voice sounds effortlessly – and wondrously – like Kitty Wells or Patsy Cline winging over the airwaves from a vintage Grand Ole Opry show.

The combo has been playing its signature blend of country, hillbilly, and rockabilly on an array of discs very much worth checking out. Sills sometimes calls their sound “spaghetti-western swing,” and swing it does.

This is truly a combo, too – tight and focused, with clever, layered arrangements. Jimmy Norris’ drumming and Sunshine Jackson’s vocals tie a song up with a pretty bow. Egan and Wallace’s string work support Sills’ singing with period-perfect fills. And when they let loose, solos range from sultry to twangy, sweet to red hot.

This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.