The California duo of Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennen known as Dead Rock West play traditional roots music with a timeless appeal that also bears more than a slight resemblance to acoustic X (the Los Angeles punk/roots band) and their side project, the Knitters. Their second album, Bright Morning Stars, features D.J. Bonebrake, Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X as guests along with the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson. The version of Blind Willie Johnson’s “God Don’t Never Change” offers a softer insight into the song than the original. Producer Peter Case keeps things dark and swampy, but he isn’t afraid to let the musicians improvise their way out of these classic and modern blues. “Beyond the Blues,” written by Case, Tom Russell and Bob Neuwirth, is a gentle mid-tempo that features fresh, loose harmonies and guitars that mix in the background for a wall of impressive sound. “This May Be The Last Time,” a tune best known by the Staple Singers and completely rewritten as “The Last Time” by the Rolling Stones, is a brilliant performance.