Hit List

Sándor Szabó, Dreams within

Dreams. The repertoire on Hungarian fingerstyle guitarist Sándor Szabó’s latest CD is divided evenly between original compositions and traditional tunes from his home country. Szabó primarily plays a 16-string steel-string instrument, which lends the album an almost orchestral tonal range. Songs like "There Is Forest, Too" and "A Hungarian in California" find Szabó exploring knuckle-busting technical feats and Michael Hedges–like bass lines, while "Asian Song" and "Open Your Gate My Rose" are stunningly beautiful arrangements of simple melodies. (Acoustic Music)

––Teja Gerken

 

 

Soulhat, Experiment on a Flat Plane. The "experiment" here, says front man Kevin McKinney, is "to make an acoustic album—the kind you don’t bring home to mother." The result? Some very fine acoustic-electric rock, full of churn and boogie, tight guitar work, and muscular melodies--a stylistic meeting of Dave Matthews and ZZ Top. This Austin outfit has a ten-year history with convoluted personnel changes that continued even after this CD was waxed; but in this incarnation, they hit the flat plane running. If Mom could forgive them for the lame bluegrass sendup "WNBA," she might even like it. (Terminus)

––Jeffrey Pepper Rodger

 

Various artists, Nashville: The Early String Bands, Vols. 1 and 2. Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, County has reissued, in augmented form, two collections that document the Opry’s early years. Performers include Uncle Dave Macon, Sam McGee, and Arthur Smith, who rank with the foremost figures in the old-time pantheon. Others, like Dr. Humphrey Bate and His Possum Hunters, were important historically and fascinating musically. Even lesser-known groups like the Binkley Brothers are great--their "Rise When the Rooster Crows" is one of the classics of the genre. With informative notes by music historian Charles Wolfe and clean sound, this is an excellent introduction to early country music. (County)

––Duck Baker

 

Kila, Lemonade and Buns. The latest CD from this "tribal-trad" Dublin septet explores new ways to combine traditional Irish instruments with sax, African drums, exuberant chanting, and more. "An Tiománai," complete with a blazing horn section punctuating a benzedrine-crazed uilleann pipe solo, achieves a groove that would do the Neville Brothers proud. And "Epicy," with its underpinning of mandolin and darabuka, is one of the most infectious mutant jigs heard in a long time. Kila is a party band you could build a rave around, with a sound that’s somehow big and intimate at the same time. (Green Linnet)

––Danny Carnahan

 

Sarah Harmer, You Were Here. The second solo release from this Canadian singer-songwriter is a folk-pop gem. From the quirky bounce and melodic clarinet of "Around this Corner" to the graceful phrasing in "The Hideout," You Were Here is filled with one shining moment after another. "Lodestar" begins with quiet fingerpicking, then picks up tempo, changes melody, and blooms into a soundscape colored by powerful harmonies and driving cello. Throughout the CD, Harmer’s heartfelt singing and intelligent way with words bring these songs to life. Melodies rise and fall in unexpected places, swerving away from the obvious, but always underscoring the emotion behind the lyrics. If you’re a fan of Aimee Mann or Freedy Johnston, this CD is highly recommended. (Zoë/Rounder)

––Drew Pearce

 

João Gilberto, Voz e Violao. On Voz e Violao, João Gilberto pares bossa nova--the music he pioneered in tandem with Antonio Carlos Jobim and others--to its dreamy, sensual essence. Accompanying his vocals with only his gently rhythmic guitar playing, he reprises two tunes, "Chega de Saudade" and "Desafinado," that helped launch the bossa nova movement in the early ’60s and covers songs by post-bossa "tropicalia" stars Gil Gilberto and Caetano Veloso. João’s voice seems even richer and more unhurried than ever, and any guitarist seeking the essential model of bossa nova rhythm and harmony should listen to this beautiful CD. (Verve)

––Ron Forbes-Roberts

Sam Bush, Ice Caps. Mandolinist extraordinaire Sam Bush has revolutionized bluegrass music in the last few decades with an infusion of rock, reggae, soul, and R&B influences. Ice Caps is a collection of live performances from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which has been the cauldron for many of his musical stews. It captures a glimpse of the creative power and musical integrity that have made Bush the mainstay of this popular, influential event. Who else but Bush could find the common ground between Bill Monroe’s "Big Mon" and Lowell George’s "Sailin’ Shoes?" A killer version of "Stingray" features New Grass Revival alumni John Cowan and Béla Fleck, and there’s plenty more great music to satisfy the legions of fans and help the unconverted see the light. (Sugar Hill)

––David McCarty

 

Franz Halász, All in Twilight, T
Mru Takemitsu: Complete Music for Solo Guitar. Late Japanese composer T
Mru Takemitsu often took his inspiration from gardens and paintings, giving his music a nonlinear, contemplative aesthetic. He composed many pieces for the guitar, and his work contains elements of both Japanese and Western music. The original pieces on this recording, including "All in Twilight," "Equinox," "Folios," and "In the Woods" are both austere and expressive. Takemitsu’s arrangements of standard pop songs, from the Wizard of Oz to the Beatles to the Communist anthem "The International," are a surprising contrast to those starker works, and their romantic quality reflects a rich sense of counterpoint and harmony. American-born German guitarist Franz Halász performs these works with insight, humor, and a beautiful tone. (Bis/Qualiton)

––Stephen Dick

David Mosher, Long Night Moon. David Mosher has a gift for writing songs that create a feeling of place--the mountains and waters of the Pacific Northwest, the brittle cold of a Midwest winter night, the soft contour of an eastern woodland--and Long Night Moon is an engaging musical journey. Mosher is a versatile guitarist, admired in flatpicking circles for his drive and melodic inventiveness. His playing here is mostly fingerstyle and elegantly suited to this folk-pop material. Though he overdubbed many of the vocal and instrumental tracks himself, Mosher evades the telltale flatness of that technique with some intriguing arrangements and judicious use of guest musicians. (Hermit Thrush)

––Sue Thompson

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

 

Acoustic Music, Postfach 1945, D-49009 Osnabrück, Germany; www.acoustic-music.de.

County, PO Box 191, Floyd, VA 24091; (540) 745-2001; www.countysales.com.

Hermit Thrush, PO Box 7453, Ann Arbor, MI 48107; (734) 604-5997; dmosh@raisinpicker.com.

Terminus, 981 Ashby St., Suite 102, Atlanta, GA 30318; www.terminusrecords.com.

 

 

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, March 2001, No. 99.

 

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