Reviews

David Byrne, Grown Backwards.

Throughout much of his career, in Talking Heads and as a solo artist, David Byrne has seemed the post-punk pop embodiment of Tampa Red's "Mister Rhythm Man," building great songs on a ground of indelible beats and riffs and twitching like an electrocuted marionette as he delivers them. On Grown Backwards, he reverses field, emphasizing melody and complementary string parts (played by the Tosca Strings of Austin, Texas, and others) and retrofitting the groove with guitar, bass, and drums. The strategy was foreshadowed in the arrangements on 2001's Look into the Eyeball, and Byrne extrapolated the textural possibilities on last year's Lead Us Not into Temptation, his beautiful score for the film Young Adam. But these 14 tracks—11 originals, two arias ("Au Fond du Temple Saint" from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers and "Un di Felice, Eterea" from Verdi's La Traviata), and one Lambchop cover—bring the modus operandi to full fruition in the service of catchy tunes that support characteristically wry lyrics about romance, self-consciousness, the digital age, and the follies of imperialism. Byrne plays electric and acoustic guitars and Fender Rhodes piano in shifting instrumental mixes of accordion, harp, marimba, trombone, cello, Theramin, and even much of jazz arranger Carla Bley's big band. But even with all the care he gives to orchestration, it's his singing (joined by Rufus Wainwright on the Bizet) that commands greatest attention. It seems funny to say a 51-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is finding his voice, but for all the winks and nods in Byrne's artful writing, the passion in his crooning makes growing backwards seem like a natural evolution. (Nonesuch, www.nonesuch.com)

—Derk Richardson

Adam Tanner and the Dirty Rag Mob, Rare Rags and Stringband Blues.

Many equate old-time Southern music only with modal fiddle tunes and ancient ballads descended from Scots-Irish forebears. But there's another, often neglected, side of old-time music that took American musical forms like ragtime, jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley songs and twisted them into a unique hillbilly style. Adam Tanner's new CD—a marvelous collection of string band rags and blues performed with joyous panache—should go a long way toward bringing this side of old-time music to light. Tanner's driving fiddle and mandolin style is a perfect balance of precision and abandon. Particularly on the cuts where Paul Leech plays arco bass, the rhythm section really rocks—a perfect match for the raucous jollity of these melodies. And guitarist Riley Baugus moves things along with a punchy, robust attack, punctuating the tunes with delightfully quirky runs and fills. In his liner notes, Kerry Blech provides an extensive discography and outlines the interesting history of this venerable musical tradition. (Old 97 Wrecords, www.old97wrecords.com)

—Sue Thompson

Peter Mulvey, Kitchen Radio.

Peter Mulvey takes chances. He recorded his last album, Ten Thousand Mornings, live in a Boston subway station. This time he enlists the help of producer and musical cohort David Goodrich to create a moody, jazz-inflected collection of original songs that combine his fluid acoustic fingerpicking with Goodrich's unpredictable electric guitar parts. The best tracks—including "Me and Albert" and "Shirt"—are hypnotic, and the whole record, from the haunting melody of the opening "Road to Mallow" to the eerie, malevolent "29 Cent Head" to the upbeat pop closer "Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad" is engaging, down to earth, and utterly original. (Signature Sounds, www.signaturesounds.com)

—Simone Solondz

Kathy Kallick, Reason and Rhyme.

What a pleasure to hear one of the most appealing voices in contemporary bluegrass detour through neighboring singer-songwriter folk territory with a stellar entourage of backing musicians and singers. An expressive vocalist and spot-on rhythm guitarist, the San Francisco Bay Area—based Kallick navigates this subtle but significant stylistic shift with her trademark warmth and substance throughout a patiently paced 15-song set. The track list includes a dozen originals, including such melodic gems as "Coastal Fog," "You Took Me Away," "Rustler's Moon," and the countrified "The Words You Don't Say." Two crisply rearranged traditional numbers ("Handsome Cabin Boy" and "Lone Pilgrim") and a shimmering cover of the late Kate Wolf's "Trumpet Vine" round out the collection. Esteemed guests include Nina Gerber and Acoustic Guitar editor Scott Nygaard on guitar, Stuart Duncan and Laurie Lewis on fiddle, John Reischman and Tom Rozum on mandolin, Cindy Browne and Todd Phillips on acoustic bass, and Sally Van Meter on Dobro. Sweet vocal harmonies are provided by Herb Pedersen, Peter Rowan, and Amy Stenberg (of Kallick's band), among others. From start to finish, the engaging material, impeccable playing, and crystalline production make Reason and Rhyme a welcome tonic for tumultuous times. (Copper Creek, www.coppercreekrecords.com)

—Mike Thomas

Marco Pereira, Original.

Marco Pereira's first recording of entirely self-penned solo pieces is a revelation, the kind of album that makes you reconsider the stifling expectations sometimes associated with the "classical" guitar, perhaps the most glorious of all six-strings. On Original, Pereira uses traditional Brazilian rhythms and forms as a foundation for 14 new compositions that showcase the complex expressive power of the nylon-string. Rooted in such a strong cultural tradition, the tunes sometimes sound familiar, yet Pereira avoids the clichés that players often fall back on. The gritty vocal introduction to "Num Pagode em Planaltina" keeps things from getting too slick, and the harmonic depth and rhythmic grooves of such pieces as "Tio Boros" and "Bate-Coxa" will have fellow guitarists shaking their heads in amazement. (GSP, www.gspguitar.com)

—Teja Gerken

Marty Grosz and His Hot Puppies, Rhythm Is Our Business.

Born in Berlin in 1930, during the twilight years of the artistic explosion in which his father, the great German artist George Grosz, was a leading light, Marty Grosz grew up in New York and migrated to Chicago in the 1950s, becoming a mainstay on the traditional jazz scene. Today, Grosz is perhaps the last living link to the early jazz guitar style defined by such greats as Eddie Lang, Dick McDonough, and Carl Kress. On his aptly titled new release, Grosz proves himself a master of an idiom that developed before there were amplifiers and in which the instrument was almost always strummed, whether keeping the time or delivering the occasional chord solo. Rhythm Is Our Business features him in an international quintet that boasts members from Germany, Holland, and the US. The material dates mostly from the '20s and '30s and is about equally divided between the well-known ("Squeeze Me," "Heartaches") and the less familiar ("Believe It Beloved"). Fine solos abound, but what makes the music stand out is the great group feeling. Contemporary trad jazz can seem predictable and formulaic, but Grosz and his Puppies still sound frisky. (Sackville, [416] 593-7230)

—Duck Baker

Michael Fix, Web of Dreams.

While this atmospheric CD is dreamlike, Australian guitar virtuoso Michael Fix keeps it real with his strong sense of melody and bold attack. Except for one of the best renditions of "Fever" you're ever likely to hear, all the compositions on his sixth release are originals. Some are straightforward jazzy or bluesy numbers, but most create stories in the mind, which is not surprising, as Fix has written music for movies. "Footprints in My Heart" has a '50s noir quality, augmented by Scott Brown's sultry flugelhorn, while the distorted reverb on "4 am" nails the queasy, fuzzy-brained feeling of a sleepless night. Jo Lack's soaring violin is featured on both "Passionfruit," which opens the CD, and the closing title track, which modulates from Fix's tender arpeggios to a hyperactive reel and back again, just like disparate dream associations that somehow cohere and make perfect sense. (Fret Music, www.michaelfix.com)

—Céline Keating

South Austin Jug Band.

The last thing anyone wants to hear is another cover of Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing," especially by a jug band. And when the song list includes titles like "The Ballad of Eddie Mullet" and "Ramen Noodle Rag," it's tempting to dismiss the entire project as a newgrass joke. But that would be a mistake. The guys in the South Austin Jug Band have clearly done their bluegrass homework and can flatpick a breakdown with the best of them. Having an old country pro like Lloyd Maines producing doesn't hurt, either. Theirs is an old-school style, sans drums, heavy on rhythm, speed, homespun harmonies, and nimble interplay between mandolin, acoustic guitar, fiddle, and upright bass. They dive right in on "Long Journey Home," trading fours before the disc is two minutes old. More than a trad retread, SAJB can be jazzy ("Turn Around"), trashy ("Mullet"), or solemn and beautiful ("Hill Country Nights"). And the version of "Little Wing" is wonderfully realized, with mandolin, fiddle, and acoustic guitar seamlessly trading the familiar melody line. (Jug Band, www.southaustinjugband.com)

—Nick A. Zaino III

Max Wolff, I'm Bonafide.

Judging by the title of this CD, Max Wolff feels he has something to prove. And let's be honest, when Europeans have attempted to interpret the American rural blues tradition, they have often faced "what would you know about it" skepticism in the country where the music was born. But Wolff, a Danish guitarist and singer, more than holds his own on these 14 cuts, half of which are originals. Accompanying himself on an old Martin 00-18 and other vintage instruments, Wolff sings in a down-home style that mixes his affinities for Delta blues and Nashville country, with only the slightest hint of a foreign accent seeping through. In fact, his delivery is so heartfelt and his picking so expert that he can pull off tunes like "Peach Picking Time Down in Georgia" or his own "Little Sugar Mama" without seeming hokey. He speeds up the tempo on Robert Johnson's "Come on in My Kitchen," turning it into a funky syncopated slide workout; and he adds an amplified Delta-style guitar to Son House's "Grinning in Your Face," giving the tune a nice forward propulsion. While Wolff might have taken a few more chances—especially lyrically—this CD places him in the company of other accomplished continental blues practitioners like Hans Theessink and Homesick Mac who have added their voices to the ongoing blues story. (Max Wolff, www.maxwolff.dk)

—Ian Zack

Larry Cordle and LST, Lonesome Skynyrd Time: A Bluegrass Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The idea of a bluegrass salute to gutbucket Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd could well arouse fear and loathing. For those receptive to the concept, however, Lonesome Skynyrd Time doesn't disappoint. In fact, in the hands of a smokin' bluegrass outfit like Lonesome Standard Time, many of Skynyrd's signature warhorses–"Sweet Home Alabama," "Call Me the Breeze," "I Know a Little," "Saturday Night Special"–stomp and snort with vibrant new life. On softer songs such as "Tuesday's Gone" and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew," the rich acoustic string band treatment underscores the influential rock band's deep Dixie roots. Flashy-and-fluid LST guitarist Booie Beach leads a virtuoso instrumental charge that boasts sterling contributions from Dobro ace Kim Gardner, banjo man David Talbot, mandolinist Andy Leftwich, and fiddler Jenee Keener. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Larry Cordle, whose songs have been covered by chart-topping country artists like George Jones and Garth Brooks, steers the proceedings with just the right blend of high lonesome twang and barrel-chested growl, à la Skynyrd's original front man Ronnie Van Zant. And, yes, there's a nearly nine-minute romp through "Free Bird." Turn it up. (CMH, www.cmhrecords.com)

—Mike Thomas

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, July 2004, No. 139.

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