Hit List

Jay Farrar, Sebastopol.

Like his best records with Son Volt, Jay Farrar’s solo debut sometimes turns up the volume but never drowns out the heart. On Sebastopol, atmospheric organ swells have replaced pedal steel, the grooves move more like bossa novas than two-steps, and Farrar’s alternate tunings create a lush backdrop for his melodies. Though the sound sometimes weaves away from Uncle Tupelo–style twang, Farrar’s distinctive voice and lyrical perspective remain. His songs offer both a view from the road and a view from the sky, a mixture of the earthy and divine that continues to make his music memorable. (Artemis, www.artemisrecords.com)

—Drew Pearce

Old Blind Dogs, Fit?

On Fit?, Scotland’s Old Blind Dogs have mastered the tricky art of innovating within a musical tradition while faithfully revealing its essence. The band’s fusion of Scottish fiddling, piping, and singing with bluesy harmonica and African percussion owes its success in part to Jim Malcolm’s warm, powerful voice, which is ably supported by multipart harmonies and deft arrangements. There’s impressive variety in Malcolm’s and Jonny Hardie’s guitar work, which can anchor the melody to a drone or drive hard enough to free percussionist Paul Jennings to create adroit accents instead of pounding rhythm. On "Kincardine Lads," Malcolm’s guitar lays down a bouncy reggae groove, and on "Reres Hill" the mild dissonance of his suspended guitar chords creates a pensive atmosphere that evokes the song’s theme of a regretted romantic conquest. (Green Linnet, www.greenlinnet.com)

—Sue Thompson

 

Castellani-Andriaccio Guitar Duo, Concerti for Two Guitars and Strings

On their new recording, Joanne Castellani and Michael Andriaccio present one new piece and three transcriptions for the rare combination of two guitars and chamber orchestra. The recording opens with the most dramatic work on the disc: the first movement of Astor Piazzolla’s 1985 double concerto Hommage a Liège, which was originally written for guitar and bandoneon. This movement, for guitars alone, is followed by a milonga and a tango in Piazzolla’s familiar swooping, darkly exuberant style. The duo plays with sensitivity and insight, particularly in the Baroque and neo-Baroque works that follow: Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor, originally written for two mandolins; Alessandro Marcello’s Concerto in D Minor, originally written for oboe; and Roberto Sierra’s Fantasia Corelliana, a contemporary work that recalls the work of Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli. (Fleur de Son, www.fleurdeson.com)

—Stephen Dick

Dan Bern, New American Language.

The latest from this scrappy troubadour is both louder (backed by an inspired garage band) and more reserved (no opening salvos about the magnitude of his testicles or being the Messiah) than its predecessors. Bern’s signature pop-culture riffs are mostly confined to "Great Alaskan Highway," which builds to a hilarious "heart attack ak-ak-ak-ak-ak" bridge; elsewhere he is keener on seeking than provoking, whether he’s conversing with God ("God Said No") or pondering his tumbleweed travels ("Turning Over"). In the title track, Bern dreams of "a new pop music / that tells the truth, with a good beat / and some nice harmonies," and this CD marks a big stride toward that vision. (Messenger, www.messengerrecords.com)

—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

The Del McCoury Band, Del and the Boys.

If, as it’s been described, bluegrass is folk music in overdrive, Del and the Boys is bluegrass in overdrive. At the heart of the album are Del McCoury’s powerful, rough-edged vocals. With shrewd timing and flawless diction, he delivers these songs with the grace of a natural storyteller. The band has a knack for material not usually associated with bluegrass, like Richard Thompson’s "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," and they make this biker love tale sound utterly right set to banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. McCoury’s rhythm guitar playing, with its punchy accents and spare use of bass runs, holds the band’s sound together and gives it its unmistakable swing. (Ceili, www.ceilirecords.com)

—Sue Thompson

Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Live at the Bluebird.

It’s 1995 and you’re sitting at a corner table at Nashville’s Bluebird Café. As Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark swap their dry, incisive, slice-of-life stories and songs, you can’t miss the reason why they’re legends and why they’re such close musical compadres. Their guitars are plugged straight into the board and they don’t always sing in tune, but it doesn’t matter. Inspired renditions of Clark’s "The Cape," Earle’s "Copperhead Road," and Van Zandt’s "Tecumseh Valley" are just a few reasons to pick up this pared-down and powerful CD. (American Originals, www.americanoriginalscds.com)

—Rani Arbo

 

Ian Melrose, A Scottish Legacy.

While Irish music has seen a lot of fingerstyle guitar interpretation—El McMeen, Martin Simpson, and Steve Baughman come to mind—Scottish music hasn’t been explored nearly as fully. Berlin-based Scottish guitarist Ian Melrose has dabbled in the music of his homeland on previous albums, but A Scottish Legacy is full-blown tartan. The 15 tracks include tunes by familiar Scottish composers J.S. Skinner ("The Mathematician," "The Music O’Spey") and Neil Gow ("Farewell to Whiskey," "Neil Gaw's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife") as well as traditional tunes like "Mrs. McLeod" and "Lochaber No More." Melrose is a fine interpreter—fast fingered on the jigs and reels and full of pathos on the laments—and he colors the music with occasional guest contributions on drums, bass, and mandolin. (Acoustic Music, www.acoustic-music.de)

—Art Edelstein

Willie Nelson, Rainbow Connection.

Willie Nelson is always recording something, and in between his more serious albums he finds time for family projects like Rainbow Connection. When he envisioned it 20 years ago, Rainbow Connection was going to be a children’s album, but now that his kids are grown up, it has become more scattered, with songs like "Playin’ Dominoes and Shootin’ Dice" alongside "Playmate" and "Rock Me to Sleep." It’s a funny combination—beautifully silly, light-hearted, and amateurish in the best sense of the word—with nothing to connect the songs but a sense of playfulness, of Nelson and his extended family hanging out and enjoying themselves. (Island)

—Kenny Berkowitz

Doc Watson, Doc Watson at Gerdes Folk City.

This live recording comes from the beginning of Doc Watson’s solo career, when his then-revolutionary approach to traditional songs and early country and blues numbers was being defined. He was already a giant. His singing and banjo playing set a standard few could match, and his guitar playing remains peerless. This release stands with the very best of his long, brilliant career and is indispensable for Watson fans. (Sugar Hill, www.sugarhillrecords.com)

—Duck Baker

Jimmy Wyble, The Art of Two-Line Improvisation.

Jimmy Wyble’s unique volume of exercises and etudes, which teach control of two independent musical lines, has been legendary since its 1979 publication. These quirky pieces work with fingerstyle or plectrum-and-finger techniques and will challenge and stretch your ears and chops. Chord progressions are not identified, but observant students will recognize familiar shapes outlined on the fretboard. The new edition features a demonstration CD by editor David Oakes, standard notation and tablature, and corrections of typos in the original. The CD is particularly welcome, because Wyble’s recordings of the studies are long out of print. (Mel Bay, www.melbay.com)

—Gary Joyner

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

 

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, February 2002, No. 110.

 

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