Two of Los Angeles's finest blues artists, composer-producer-guitarist Barry Levenson, a Pittsburgh native whose Heart to Hand ranks as one of the last decade's most impressive blues guitar albums, and Mississippi-born singer and harp player Johnny Dyer, who most recently recorded for Black Top, headlined the 2001 Blues Estafette festival to excellent reviews.  Now they have released Hard Times Won, a magnificent album.

The title track darkens a "Wang Dang Doodle" pattern to suit the lyric's bleak mood - Phil Wight's notes correctly compare it to Bob Dylan, as this song would fit perfectly on the somber Time Out Of Mind. "Chasing The Money," a funky back-scratcher, finds Dyer running to escape from poverty and catch his "share of the dream." Levenson develops his solo, at first holding notes beyond expectation, challenging the rhythm without getting caught, then working a groove on the low strings before climbing to big bends and staccato treble picking. Mike Thompson dances on the organ keys and Phil Krawzak's horns keep things kicking. Dyer contributes a Little Walter-informed harp break and a fine, wide-open vocal to "Things You Do," an update of "Confessin' The Blues." "She's So Fine" is a straightforward Chicago shuffle with a surprising bridge, fleshed out with more great harp work and expert Eddie Taylor-style turnarounds on guitar.

Levenson kicks off the relaxed "I Ain't Going Back" and leaves plenty of essential breathing room in his jazzy solo, juicing long, T-Bone Walker-inspired lines with tremolo picking and unexpected intervals; Dyer handles the complex melody and droll storyline with casual expertise. On the slow "9 O'Clock Blues" the spirit of Muddy Waters, never far from the surface of Dyer's singing, comes compellingly to the fore. The harp solo is a model of toneful restraint; Levenson expertly plays snarling, faux-slide fills. Thompson's piano and Dave Kida's drums make swinging sound easy on "Drinking Stops Me Thinking." Is Dyer welcoming oblivion or being reflective? A pensive lyric juxtaposed against an upbeat feel create a satisfying ambiguity. The eight-bar pre-chorus lends structural sophistication, and Levenson submits one of his greatest leads, skittering from note to note, touching on color tones, digging into and playing around the rhythm, producing dramatically different timbres from his guitar.

Three instrumentals give Levenson center stage. Simply put: There may be no guitarist in blues working at his level of technical ability and soulful expression. On "The Graveyard Shift" he channels Otis Rush, down to his trademark upraked chords and singing bends, exquisitely developing the theme in chorus after chorus. "Slip Me Some Green, Jack" is a tribute to the eternally cool B-3 sound dedicated to Captain Jack McDuff and Grant Green. Elaborating on the head melody, Levenson shades elements of Green into Kenny Burrell and so many other ace jazz guitarists as he effortlessly plays cat with the mice of rhythmic and harmonic possibility. Thompson's tone and touch on the organ are essential. The highlight is the stunning "Inhumanity Blues." Its soaring melody, supported by crying bends, expressive vibrato, and wiry, rapid-fire picking in the Vanguard-era Buddy Guy style, moves through a stop-time section before resolving into a funereal requiem that culminates in Roy Buchanan-esque volume swells.

Levenson's arrangements deserve a careful listen. They usually feature three or more intermeshed guitar parts, any one of which would support the tune and each of which he improvises upon with flourishes and fills. His lead playing is beautiful, tough, and inventive, with wiry bends, fresh note choices, expressive vibrato, rhythmic variation, impossibly vocal-like phrasing, immaculate Fender tones, and, crucially taste: He knows when to play and when to lay out. His lyrics maintain blues tradition while extending it with wit, sensitivity, and intelligence. Add an excellent band and a focused Johnny Dyer up front, and Hard Times Won is essential listening.

TOM HYSLOP