Browse through the rhythm and blues section of your favorite CD cyberstore, and it's unlikely that you'll find a copy of The Slide Area. Too bad. Guitar champion Ry Cooder (along with his buddy John Haitt) has more soul in his little finger than contemporary artists the likes of Boyz II Men dream about. The Slide Area opens with outrageous and funky `UFO Has Landed In The Ghetto.' The song includes Tim Drummond's ground-shaking bass rhythm, and a list of every funk and dance cliche every written. With visual impressions of an alien doing the funky chicken, I believe Cooder takes a cynical swipe at 160 beats per minute dance tempo music. Cooder's voice is at its soulful best, and with the help of his backup singers (Bobby King, Wilie Green, Herman Johnson) love songs such as Curtis Mayfield's `Gypsy Woman' recall the sweet soul music of the Inspirations. The band rocks `Mama Don't You Treat Your Daughter Mean.' The songwriting team of Cooder/Keltner might very well be penning R&B numbers for the Rolling Stones. I can imagine Jagger swaggering on stage, and Richards/Wood dueling guitars to `I'm Drinking Again.' On a final note, I believe `That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me' is Cooder's finest moment. If soul music is supposed to reach deep into the heart, then this composition is a winner - lonesome and heartbreaking. Technical Note: The CD material makes no mention, but I suspect this is an analog recording. The recording and mastering is first-class - pushing the limits of analog to the edge. Note the sparkle of the percussion on `That's The Way.' I can't detect the slightest hint of distortion on the ground-shaking bass chords of `UFO.'