THE AMERICAN WEST

Dee Brown captures the American West through stories of cowboys and cattle drives, battles with Indians, settlers and wagon trains. The program is full of detail and, at times, it's hard to absorb all the interrelationships and minutia. Mitchell Ryan's reading doesn't help this. His pace rarely changes; only occasionally through an anecdote is he able to introduce variation through character voices. Harmonica and other music and background sound effects bring welcome relief and are used effectively. There's a lot of flavor added by the production, which helps to leaven Brown's text. The program will interest aficionados, but one wishes for a way to index the recording so separate areas could be accessed at will. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR 96]