Hit List

 

Dolly Parton, Little Sparrow

Despite all her glitter and gravity-defying glamour, Dolly Parton is a mountain girl at heart. She hit pay dirt when she explored her bluegrass roots on last year’s excellent The Grass Is Blue, and she plows a parallel furrow on this new effort. Most of the songs are Parton originals inspired by old ballads and country songs, but a few surprises such as Steve Young’s "Seven Bridges Road" and Cole Porter’s "I Get a Kick out of You" stretch the boundaries of mountain music. Parton’s plaintive warble is as effective as ever, particularly on the title track, a nifty rewrite of the hoary ballad "Silver Dagger." The crackerjack acoustic pickers include Nashville hotshots Bryan Sutton, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, and Chris Thile, as well as guest appearances from members of Altan, Ireland’s premier trad ensemble. (Sugar Hill)

––Paul Kotapish

 

Ani DiFranco, Revelling/Reckoning

This two-disc set features Revelling, where a buoyant, groove-centered DiFranco is caught on tape, giggling and playing solo with a tamburitza or along with Maceo Parker’s saxophone. Conversely, on Reckoning, DiFranco is an older, quieter spirit channeling mythic mountain stories ("Old Old Song") and musing bitterly on America’s covert racism ("Subdivision"). Though DiFranco has added an even fuller horn sound, the undercurrent of her music is still the same—jarring poetry on proletariat peril matched with spare vocals and spark-plug percussive acoustic guitar strums. Her trademark neo-beatnik syncopations are also in evidence, as in "she’s getting plenty of little kisses but nobody’s slippin’ her the key," from "Tamburitza Lingua." DiFranco has turned 30 with this release, but it certainly hasn’t dulled her delivery. (Righteous Babe)

—Karen Iris Tucker

 

Beausoleil, Looking Back Tomorrow

There’s no better blues chaser than a lively two-step played by a fine Cajun band like Beausoleil. On this live concert recording, Beausoleil showcases its solid traditional roots with tunes like "J’ai Eté au Bal" and Dennis McGee’s haunting waltz "Pa Janvier" and also heats things up with blues, rock, and zydeco numbers. Guitarist David Doucet provides solid rhythm in the classic style of great Cajun guitar master Rodney Balfa and then rocks out on his solos. When you’re feeling down, pop this baby into your CD player and laissez les bon temps rouler. (Rhino)

––Sue Thompson

 

Kate Campbell, Wandering Strange

Whether she’s singing 18th-century hymns, gospel standards, or her own songs, Kate Campbell has a strong, plainspoken power. Grounded in the Baptist church (her father was a preacher), she sings songs so simple they could easily be overwhelmed. But on Wandering Strange, with a Muscle Shoals band made up of Walt Aldridge (acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki), David Hood (bass), and Spooner Oldham (piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3), the playing is beautifully balanced, spare, and soulful. The material crosses country with southern soul and is both contemporary and traditional, with new songs like "10,000 Lures" and "Bear It Away" fitting perfectly alongside older hymns. The strength of Wandering Strange is its simplicity; it evokes all the timeless, loving power of the gospel. (Eminent)

—Kenny Berkowitz

 

Reeds/Ali Flute and Guitar Duo, Café

One of the advantages of a guitar and flute duo is its ability to make rich, complex music and still travel light. So, it’s fitting that the repertoire of guitarist Mir Ali and flutist Betsy Reeds should be so cosmopolitan. Café covers traditional rumba flamenco, new tango, choro, Irish, and Baroque chamber music among other styles. A highlight is "Jugal Bandi," a raga suite composed by Ali, on which the duo is joined by a tabla player. Ali is an exceptional nylon-string guitarist with a big, warm sound and concise yet relaxed phrasing, and the duo plays with a natural musical empathy. (Triloca)

––Ron Forbes-Roberts

 

Zoe Speaks, Pearl

This Kentucky duo embellishes strong originals with a simple but affecting musical palette: two strong voices, great guitar playing, and touches of fiddle, mandolin, and Dobro from some high-class players (including producer Bruce Molsky). Seasoned performers themselves, Carla Gover and Mitch Barrett both spent musical childhoods in Kentucky and have been trailing an Appalachian muse ever since. Their spare arrangements and unwavering harmonies evoke Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (not to mention generations of singers before them), but their songs are much more personal. Two standouts are Gover’s "Angel Wings" and Barrett’s "Daddy’s Tune." (Redbird)

––Rani Arbo

Vince Junior, Swing for the Sky

"When I go to the zoo / No animal there goes ‘moo moo moo’ / That’s true," goes the opening track of this winning collection of songs for kids, accompanied by nice raggy fingerpicking and resonator slide. And if you play this CD around small ones in your house, you’d better believe that you will all soon be strutting around and belting out these words. Vince Junior is a solid bluesy guitarist with a gift for the simple statement, from the sweetly strummed "You’re My Friend" to the stop-time drumming of "Freeze." Highly recommended for folk-rooted families. (Rhythm Rodeo)

––Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Various artists, Green Tea Leaf Salad: Flavors of Burmese Music

At over an hour and a quarter, this salad is like a six-course meal, and a rich and exotically flavored one it is. Listeners with any interest in authentic world music will flip over this wonderful release, which features guitar on several tracks, along with violin, mandolin, and various indigenous instruments in different ensembles. The music is brightly colored and melodically unlike either the Chinese or Indian traditions, reminiscent of such unrelated things as music from Madagascar, medieval music, and Captain Beefheart. Both slide and standard guitar are featured in styles that have to be heard to be believed. (Pan)

––Duck Baker

 

Charles Chapman, Finger Gymnastics: Warm-up, Flexibility, Speed, and Strength Studies

Warm-up exercises continue to be an important consideration throughout the life of a guitarist. Charles Chapman’s book offers an effective and simple assortment of exercises that will prevent injury and increase physical flexibility. His complete plan includes workouts for both hands, and a CD demonstrates the exercises at various speeds. One unique exercise called "the crab" will make you see your fretting hand in a new way. Sections are devoted to warm-ups away from the instrument, stretching, position switching, a pick-and-fingers right-hand approach, and assorted modes and chords. (Mel Bay)

––Gary Joyner

Paul Meader and Robin Nolan. The Gypsy Jazz Songbook and Play-Along CD, Vol. 2

While other instruction texts aim to help guitarists learn the blistering runs of Gypsy-jazz giants like Django Reinhardt, guitarist Robin Nolan and bassist Paul Meader have created a series that teaches aspiring players the proper way to play the style’s standard repertoire. Taking great care to show the exact chord shapes used by the Gypsy guitarists, Nolan and Meader lead the student through the melodies and rhythm patterns of ten classics, including "Swing 42" and "Daphne." On the play-along CD, Nolan states each melody, and several choruses of rhythm backup allow the student to play the melody or try a solo with a real swing rhythm section. (RNT)

––David McCarty

Visit the reviews archives to read dozens of reviews of great acoustic-guitar oriented CDs.

Sources

 

Pan, distributed by Arhoolie, (888) 274-6654, www.arhoolie.com.

Redbird, (606) 986-2632, www.zoespeaks.com.

Rhythm Rodeo, (877) 846-2357, www.vincejunior.com.

RNT, www.robinnolantrio.com.

Triloca, (716) 810-0549, www.mir-ali.com.

 

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, July 2001, No. 103.

 

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