Hit List

Po' Girl.

This fresh new band on the roots-music scene features Trish Klein of the Be Good Tanyas alongside Allison Russell, a Montreal-born siren with a background in Gypsy jazz and Celtic folk. The vibe is similar to the Tanyas' neo-mountain music—simple back-porch arrangements, luminous harmonies, a mix of trad and original tunes—but Po' Girl leans more toward gospel, ragtime, and blues. Klein picks an assortment of acoustic and electric guitars and banjo, while Russell brings a sultry swing to her lead vocals. (Since this CD was made, fiddler Diona Davies has joined the regular lineup.) The Girls' laid-back originals sit comfortably alongside classic themes like "Abilene" and "Shake Sugaree." (HighTone, www.hightone.com)

—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

June Carter Cash, Wildwood Flower.

Finished shortly before her death, Wildwood Flower is the perfect summation of June Carter Cash's life. The songs, written by her uncle A.P. Carter, are some of the finest America has ever produced, and the musicians—primarily Norman and Nancy Blake on guitar and mandolin and daughter-in-law Laura Cash on violin, mandolin, and guitar—play with beautifully understated grace, love, and admiration. Her voice worn but never weary, Carter Cash is earthy, soulful, and overflowing with humor, crafting this simple farewell as her legacy and leaving a masterpiece. (Dualtone, www.dualtone.com)

—Kenny Berkowitz

Clogs, Lullaby for Sue.

On its second release, this unique New England—based (mostly) acoustic quartet refines the tricky blend of classical, folk, rock, and world music influences that justifies references to Eric Satie, Sigur Ros, and the Tin Hat Trio. Australian Padma Newsome (violin, viola, voice) and Americans Bryce Dessner (classical and electric guitars), Rachael Elliott (bassoon, recorder), and Thomas Kozumplik (percussion, drums) create complex weaves of whispering drones and spiraling crescendos, teasing out the predominantly melancholic emotional content of the original compositions and rendering moot any tilt toward postmodernist irony. While solos are de-emphasized for the sake of texture and mood, Dessner's classical fingerpicking and judiciously applied rock strumming warrant guitarists' attention. On "Turtle Soup," the instruments swathe mesmerizing textures around the sampled storytelling of legendary Aussie swagman Bill Harney, while "Swarms" puts the tired horse of minimalism through fascinating new paces. (Brassland, www.brassland.org)

—Derk Richardson

Warren Zevon, The Wind.

Inevitably, The Wind will be recalled as the album Warren Zevon labored to complete while battling lung cancer and released just days before his death at age 56. But that's only part of the story. Assisted by such friends as Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Ry Cooder, Dwight Yoakam, and David Lindley, the idiosyncratic troubadour's final set is loaded with signature black humor, wild-eyed abandon, and poignant regret. "Disorder in the House," a scorching rocker that features Springsteen on electric guitar and backing vocals; the haunting rendition of Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door"; and the elegiac closing ballad "Keep Me in Your Heart" are three highlights of what is above all a deeply satisfying Warren Zevon record. (Artemis, www.artemisrecords.com)

—Mike Thomas

Acoustic Eidolon, Joy to the World.

This holiday jewel showcases the warm, vibrant tone of Hannah Alkire's cello and the sparkling harplike sound of Joe Scott's guitjo, a double-neck 14-string guitar. The unusual duo's fourth release avoids both the sappy sentimentality of many seasonal albums and the excesses of musicians straining to twist something new from familiar material. The sublime title track transcends the traditional with rhythmic shifts and unusual harmonic choices, while the eerily expressive rendering of "Coventry Carol" will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. "Oh Holy Night" and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" begin with Alkire's lustrous cello playing the melody over Scott's delicate guitjo arpeggios then reverse to put the bell-like guitar in the foreground. (Acoustic Woods, www.acousticwoods.net)

—Céline Keating

Enrique Morente, El Pequeño Reloj.

On what may be his most adventurous work yet, the bold flamenco singer Enrique Morente offers his response to current events by including a pacifist statement ("Alegato Contra las Armas," set to the theme from Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata) and a tribute to Brazil's president Lula ("Reloj Molesto," performed against an electronica background); adds vocals to sampled historical recordings by Ramón Montoya, Sabicas, and Manolo de Huelva; and reaches across musical styles by calling on such flamenco artists as vocalist Estrella Morente (his daughter) and guitarist Tomatito as well as Latin jazz trumpeter Jerry González and bassist Alain Pérez. Such an ambitiously experimental recording might be hard to absorb in one sitting, but it's a rewarding experience for those with open minds and ears. (Virgin Records, Spain, www.virgin-records.es)

—Stephen Dick

Gene Bertoncini, Acoustic Romance.

This just-released 1992 session illustrates the musical depth of this fingerstyle jazz master. Gene Bertoncini's "orchestra on guitar" approach is featured on the solo piece "Edelweiss" and the opening choruses of "'Round Midnight," "Cavatina" (arranged with interwoven melody and counter lines), and other tunes, and his flair for lyrical single-note lines stands out in the trio work with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Akira Tana, who plug right in to the guitarist's highly developed melodic and rhythmic sensibilities. The interaction between the three on "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?," "Emily," and other songs is breathtaking, and Bertoncini's phrasing, tone, and flow of harmonic ideas is mesmerizing throughout. (Sons of Sound, www.sonsofsound.com)

—Ron Forbes-Roberts

R.L. Burnside, First Recordings.

Now 77, R.L. Burnside has made a name for himself in recent years as a purveyor of down-home Mississippi juke blues, but he was unknown when folklorist George Mitchell taped these 14 songs at the bluesman's Coldwater, Mississippi, home in 1962. With nine of his ten kids sprawled on the floor nearby, Burnside sang in a plaintive moan, fingerpicking hypnotic, syncopated acoustic guitar figures. You can hear the influence of John Lee Hooker (Burnside covers his "Hobo Blues") and Fred McDowell, but Burnside's hill-country guitar style was already fully formed when these remarkable recordings were made. It's impossible to ignore the irony of him singing "my troubles soon be over" on "Long-Haired Doney" when in fact his music would not reach a popular audience for several decades. (Fat Possum, www.fatpossum.com)

—Ian Zack

Loudon Wainwright III, So Damn Happy.

The onetime clown prince of contemporary folk continues to evolve. Not only has Loudon Wainwright III's second career in TV and film acting taken off in recent years, but this 17-track live recording underscores the steadily expanding breadth and quality of his songwriting. Although still funny as hell—check out the title track, "Heaven," and "The Sh*t Song"—he stares down middle-age angst with pinpoint honesty ("Much Better Bets," "Dreaming," "4x10"). Culled mostly from his post-1990 work, the collection also includes two durable '80s numbers, the "country and eastern" waltz "Westchester County" and "The Home Stretch," plus five brand-new songs. Contributions by Van Dyke Parks (piano), Richard Thompson (guitar), David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, fiddle), and daughter Martha Wainwright (vocals) help make So Damn Happy pretty damn impressive. (Sanctuary, www.sanctuaryrecords.com)

—Mike Thomas

The Creaking Tree String Quartet.

There's nothing the least bit creaky about the string combo of Andrew Collins (mandolin), Brad Keller (guitar), Brian Kobayakawa (bass), and John Showman (fiddle), whose sparkling debut CD is as tight and polished as it is improvisational and exuberant. The music crackles with imaginative and sometimes manic instrumental interplay. Such original compositions as "Underpass," "Phthalo Blues," "Stream," and "Waymoot" blend genres in Mark O'Connor/Edgar Meyer fashion and reflect the musicians' jazz, bluegrass, classical, and Celtic backgrounds. The spooky nine-minute "Motian" showcases the quartet's many talents, unleashing interweaving melody lines and tapping a treasure chest of effects. (The Creaking Tree String Quartet, www.creakingtree.com)

—Céline Keating

Over the Rhine, Ohio.

A double album isn't always an experimental indulgence at the listener's expense—in the case of Over the Rhine's masterful tenth recording, it's just more of a good thing. Though they didn't set out to make a double record, Cincinnati-based songwriting partners Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist still managed to craft a 20-song cycle that's emotionally rich enough to hold your attention and thematically consistent enough to sound cohesive. How could they go wrong when pairing such a remarkably expressive voice as Bergquist's with such soulful, intelligent songs? Beautifully restrained piano and acoustic guitar—based arrangements make such songs as "Suitcase" sound like instant classics. (Back Porch, www.backporchrecords.com)

—Drew Pearce

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, January 2004, No. 133.

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