Hit List

Mae Moore, It's a Funny World

The lush strings and rippling piano on the opening title track of this Canadian singer-songwriter's sixth recording recall the sophisticated '80s pop insouciance of Joe Jackson or Swing Out Sister. But Mae Moore's Funny World soon becomes more intimate, with a sound that features her own strummed acoustic guitar in alternate tunings and some inventive Django-meets—Steely Dan solos by acoustic jazz guitarist Marc Atkinson. Lyrically, Moore primarily treads familiar romantic pop territory. Exceptions include an eco-lament for the vanishing "Red Clay Hills" of Prince Edward Island and the imaginary artistic utopia depicted in "Bohemia." But no matter what she's singing, Moore's voice is a wonder, a round-toned, burnished instrument—like Lester Young's tenor sax or Clifford Brown's trumpet—that has been too long hidden north of the border. (Paras, www.parasrecordings.com)

—Scott Nygaard

So Kalmery, Bendera

The first cheery guitar strums of So Kalmery's new CD Bendera herald a recording full of infectious grooves, rich harmonies, and adventurous style combinations. Born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Kalmery has been a fixture of the Zairean music scene since the early 1970s and has played with Papa Wemba, Dorothy Masuka, and others. On Bendera, Kalmery and company—on guitars, bass, saxophones, flutes, keyboards, drums, and percussion—draw from reggae, soukous, blues, gospel, rumba, and South African jive, creating an acoustic guitar-driven CD of refreshing variety. (Tinder, www.tinderrecords.com)

—Rani Arbo

Bola Sete, Shambhala Moon

This recording, originally released in 1985 by Windham Hill Records as Jungle Suite, is the crowning jewel in the 30-year career of late Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete, aka Djalma de Andrade. Sete performed in a range of styles, including samba, jazz, classical, and flamenco, and this eight-part suite—played on a classical guitar with steel strings and meant to evoke magical places—is a unique combination of all these styles mixed with elements of the music of 20th-century composers like Villa-Lobos and Debussy. The remarkable thing about this recording is the broad palette of moods Sete expresses so powerfully—from dark, brooding menace to spiritual joy, often within the same piece. This is unique music filled with wild invention and strange beauty. (Samba Moon, www.sambamoon.com)

—Ron Forbes-Roberts

Norman Blake and Peter Ostroushko, Meeting on Southern Soil.

These pickers have known each other for nearly 30 years, and although Ostroushko credits Blake as his mentor, their new collaboration has the feel of old friends making relaxed music on the back porch. This mix of traditional pieces and new tunes in the traditional mold is largely instrumental, but Blake's world-weary voice graces three numbers, and Ostroushko pipes up for a spooky "Oh, Death." Highlights include the jaunty "President Richard Milhous Nixon's Hornpipe" and a lovely J.P. Fraley setting of "Blackberry Blossom" full of twisty melodic phrases, surprising rhythmic quirks, and blue notes. Blake's guitar and mandolin work is as elegant and understated as ever, and Ostroushko complements him perfectly on fiddle, mandolin, and mandola. Nancy Blake adds her pleasantly growling cello on four tracks. (Red House Records, www.redhouserecords.com)

—Paul Kotapish

Luke Brindley, How Faint the Whisper

Luke Brindley's lyrics convey a haunting mistiness that is mirrored in the moody black-and-white photos of the CD booklet. Tasty dark vocal harmonies add to the effect, and Brindley propels his songs with catchy accompaniment vamps. A variety of influences is apparent in this debut collection, including the rambling acoustic environment of New Morning—era Dylan and the smokiness of early Townes Van Zandt vocals, while the melodies and fingerstyle guitar patterns bear a clear Bruce Cockburn stamp. At the same time, Brindley has his own compelling musical voice. It all adds up to a satisfying musical experience. (Luke Brindley, www.lukebrindley.com)

—Gary Joyner

John Hasbrouck, Ice Cream

John Hasbrouck, a fingerstyle and bottleneck guitarist and longtime fixture of the Chicago music scene, spent 25 years honing his skills before releasing his first CD. The result, Ice Cream, is well worth the wait. Hasbrouck's playing on the eight originals and dozen covers here is exceptional, fusing the Delta blues of Charley Patton with modern influences like John Fahey and Michael Hedges. On the vocal tracks, he projects a postmodern whimsy, sounding at times like a cross between Kelly Joe Phelps and Lou Reed. His choice of songs is eclectic, ranging from the old folk blues "Keep It Clean" to "As Time Goes By" and a wonderfully loopy take on "House of the Rising Sun." (Ruthless Rabbit, www.johnhasbrouck.com)

—Ian Zack

Goran Ivanovic and Fareed Haque, Macedonian Blues: Laments and Dances

This impressive album by Chicago-based Fareed Haque and Croatian-born Goran Ivanovic is an excellent example of the complex textures available to two acoustic guitars played by musicians with open minds and few technical limitations. Carefully arranged and well balanced between blazing virtuosity and sheer beauty, this collection of Macedonian melodies arranged for two nylon-string guitars ranges from simple folk melodies ("Lament") to adventurously modern-sounding tunes ("Improv"). (Proteus, www.proteusentertainment.com)

—Teja Gerken

 

Sarah Lee Guthrie. Johnny Irion, Unity Lodge.

Although she's the daughter of Arlo and the granddaughter of Woody, Sarah Lee Guthrie didn't start playing guitar until 1998. She got her first lesson from Johnny Irion, who was resting after a tour opening for the Black Crowes and is now her husband. By then, she'd been singing professionally for most of her life, and now she's making her debut, (Sarah Lee Guthrie, Rising Son, www.risingson.com) with a set of earnestly playful songs, supported by a full band that swings between pretty folk-pop and gentle alt-country. Releasing his own debut (Unity Lodge, Yep Roc, www.yeproc.com) at the same time, Irion's sound is grittier, more road-worn, with a truckload of songs about highways, white lines, and Greyhound buses. Playing guitar, Dobro, and piano, Irion drives his band with a light, even hand, singing in a high, crackling tenor and keeping the mood relaxed with plenty of room between notes. Both artists are clearly at the beginning of long careers, with great promise and plenty of room to grow.

—Kenny Berkowitz

 

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, August 2002, No. 116.

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