Hit List

David Lindley and Wally Ingram, Twango Bango III.

Perhaps we should be glad that David Lindley is not on a major label. For what corporate entity would let one of their artists record a song called "When a Guy Gets Boobs" or a Hawaiian/reggae version of "I Am a Pilgrim"? Twango Bango III, Lindley's sixth self-released album, features the polyester-clad wild man of the strings in all his multifaceted glory, alternating between the "lively it up" reggae and searing slide guitar of his El Rayo-X days and the old-timey oud-and-dumbek duo sound he's pursued first with Hani Naser and now with Wally Ingram since 1990. Lindley's wacky sense of humor shows up on his own "Meatgrinder Blues," "Boobs," and the calypso "Shame and Scandal in the Family." And North African takes on the Cajun two-step "Gabrielle" and the Appalachian standard "Little Sadie" may seem like ideas destined for the world-music novelty bins, but in Lindley and Ingram's hands they make perfect sense. (David Lindley, www.davidlindley.com)

—Scott Nygaard

 

Jim Mills, My Dixie Home.

Those who've been intrigued by all the film-inspired hoopla over bluegrass and want to taste its essence could scarcely pick a better album than My Dixie Home. Banjo wizard Jim Mills has rounded up a crew of world-class sidemen, including country crossover star Ricky Skaggs and Dan Tyminski (of O Brother fame), and together they play and sing rock-solid, traditional bluegrass. The program ranges from jam-session favorites like "Will You Be Satisfied That Way" to under-recorded gems like "Tragic Romance." The highlight is a stunning rendition of Dock Boggs' much-loved "Country Blues," with a compelling vocal by Tim O'Brien that blends Anglo-Irish and blues influences and a fine, spooky dropped-D guitar solo by Tyminski. (Sugar Hill, www.sugarhillrecords.com)

—Sue Thompson

Andrew York, Into Dark.

On his third solo album, Andrew York, often known as the composing member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, offers a collection of his solo compositions, a duet with fellow LAGQ member Scott Tennant, and an arrangement of Bach's Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major. York's solo works are charming and accessible; fingerstyle guitarists as well as classical players will want to add them to their repertoire. The Bach arrangement stands out for the way the music has not been reshaped to fit the guitar. The piece is played at the original pitch, with the guitar in C G D G B E tuning, allowing all the roaring darkness of the music to come through. (Guitar Solo, www.gspguitar.com)

—Stephen Dick

 

John Hammond, Ready for Love.

Blues troubadour John Hammond's latest release may be his most eclectic. It's certainly one of his best. The first surprise on Ready for Love is the opening tune, "Slick Crown Vic," a blues with a voodoo backbeat that is the first original Hammond has recorded in a 40-year, 29-album career. Coming off the critical success of Wicked Grin, his CD of Tom Waits' songs, Hammond is growing bolder in his choice of material. Backed by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo (who also produces) on guitar, Texas keyboard wiz Augie Meyers, Fabulous Thunderbirds drummer Stephen Hodges, and fiddler Soozie Tyrell, Hammond covers rock, jazz, and country in addition to blues, lending a moody, slightly sinister quality to Hidalgo's "No Chance," the Rolling Stones' "Spider and the Fly," and the jazz standard "Comes Love." The Freddie Hart country-soul hit "Easy Loving" and a pair of George Jones tunes lighten the mood a bit, and for those who dug Hammond's bold reading of Waits last time out, there are two more Waits songs here,too. (Back Porch, www.backporchrecords.com)

—Ian Zack

 

Jon Brion, Punch-Drunk Love.

The soundtrack to P.T. Anderson's alternately dark and sweet romantic comedy Punch-Drunk Love, like the film itself, explores the sharp contrast between sentimentality and anger. Composer Jon Brion's score echoes the film's 1950s-era MGM musical influence in the sweet, romantic whimsy of "Punch-Drunk Melody" (which resurfaces with revolving instrumentation: harmonium, accordion, Beatles-esque guitar) and unleashes an industrial frenzy in pieces like "Hands and Feet" and "Tabla." The racking laughter at the beginning of "Waikiki," performed live by Ladies K, threatens to lend a dark edge to the beautifully harmonized vocals and simply strummed ukulele and acoustic guitar. Brion has put together a soundtrack that, true to the film, provides a fairy-tale escape without losing sight of life's darker sides. (Nonesuch, www.nonesuch.com)

—Nicole Solis

 

Axel Schultheiss, Departure.

On his debut CD, Free Mind, Axel Schultheiss hinted at an appetite for exploring beyond pure fingerstyle guitar. The title of his second collection, as well as its opening moments, make it clear that he has followed this desire. Schultheiss manipulates the sound of his steel-string guitar with delays, loops, slide, EBow, and pitch shifters, maintaining perfect control of the dense layers built from his minimalist structures. Complexity develops in the tumbling profusion of his rhythmic and melodic ideas, which range from a pulsing drive to lovely lyricism. The mix of Schultheiss' masterful chops and technological experimentation make this a fine set. (Acoustic Music, www.acoustic-music.de)

—Gary Joyner

Sleepy John Estes, Newport Blues.

It is curious how little attention Sleepy John Estes' later work has received compared to that of Furry Lewis, who made such an impression on younger musicians in the 1960s and '70s. Perhaps the reason is that Estes lived in Brownsville, Tennessee, while Furry was in Memphis, but it may also be due to Estes' more uncompromising style. His seemingly off-the-cuff topical songs, unpredictable guitar work, and terse vocals are heard to full advantage on Newport Blues, recorded just after Estes' appearance at the renowned folk festival in 1964. What makes this record special is the amazing interplay between Estes and his long-time associates Hammie Nixon (harmonica and jug) and Yank Rachell (mandolin and guitar). Together they somehow manage to make improvised order triumph over chaos. (Delmark, www.delmark.com)

—Duck Baker

Susie Arioli Swing Band Featuring Jordan Officer, Pennies from Heaven.

From the opening notes of this CD, Jordan Officer establishes himself firmly as a jazz guitarist of the first rank. Pulling thick, round notes from his amplified acoustic archtop, Officer sounds like the guitarist Charlie Christian might have become had he lived to see the 21st century. Officer's elegant, swinging solos display a brilliant sense of syncopation and swing, and vocalist Susie Arioli delivers masterful interpretations of jazz standards, ranging from ballads like "Night and Day" and "I'll Never Smile Again" to uptempo numbers like "No Regrets," with vivid style and fluid imagination. Backed by a rhythm section of upright bass, rhythm guitar, snare drum, and, at times, piano, Pennies from Heaven establishes this Canadian duo as leading lights of the modern swing revival. (Justin Time, www.justin-time.com)

—David McCarty

Chris Stuart, Angels of Mineral Springs.

Chris Stuart has made a name for himself both as a bluegrass banjo player and as a songwriter, having twice won MerleFest's prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. On his solo debut, he's set aside the banjo for the sweeter sound of acoustic guitar, recording these new and old songs in all their simple beauty. In "Elvis Stays Home," Memphis' favorite son chooses family over fame; in "Chasing the Fire," a man loses his prodigal brother; and in "Angels of Mineral Springs," two misfits find their way to heaven and each other. Eric Uglum's accompaniment on guitar and mandolin is rich and understated, while fiddler Gabe Witcher strikes the perfect counterpoint, gently lifting these songs into the air. (Backcountry, www.backcountryrecords.com)

—Kenny Berkowitz

Tinariwen, The Radio Tisdas Sessions.

There's an even darker blues tradition out there in the trackless sub-Saharan waste than Western world music fans have ever heard. Tinariwen, a band of former Tuareg desert fighters who literally exchanged their rifles for guitars, play the blues stripped bareÐpowerful music built on raw, uncompromising grooves. Edgier than much Malian guitar, the music is both fearless and hypnotically hopeful. The Tuareg lyrics are not translated, though the singing style is reminiscent of both Arabic and sub-Saharan griot traditions. According to the notes, though, the band's highly political songs were banned for decades while they stayed beyond the reach of Malian and Algerian authorities before finding a safe haven in Bamako in 1999. These guys are the ultimate outsiders, their cultural tensions perhaps best expressed by the two names by which they are known: Imashagen meaning "it is free" and Tuareg meaning "abandoned by the gods." (World Village, www.worldvillagemusic.com)

—Danny Carnahan

 

Mark Geary, 331/3 Grand Street.

Mark Geary's debut CD contains 11 acoustic-driven tracks of quiet intensity that will appeal to fans of Nick Drake and David Gray. Sparse, tasteful production helps drive home the beauty of such songs as "It Beats Me" and "Volunteer," which was a hit in Geary's native Ireland. Whether singing about spiritual alienation ("Adam and Eve"), loss ("Here's To You"), or other verities of the human condition, the combination of Geary's honest songwriting, soulful voice, and straightforward guitar playing make for a cathartic listening experience. (SonaBLAST!, www.sonablast.com)

—Karen Hogg

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, May 2003, No. 125.

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