Greg Brown, Further In. The effortlessly brilliant singer-songwriter turns in yet another engaging set performed with rumbling grace. This time out, the arrangements are an acoustic guitar feast; Brown matches bluesy ruminations like "Small Dark Movie" and "Think about You" with the atmospheric lap slide of Kelly Joe Phelps, and Dean Magraw adds nimble fret work to tracks like the gently swinging "You Can Always Come to Me." Further In lacks the poetic intensity of Brown's Dylan-esque masterpiece The Poet Game, but its songs casually seduce and cajole the listener and aren't easily forgotten. (Red House, PO Box 4044, St. Paul, MN 55104)
--Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
Michael Hedges, Oracle. For ten years, Hedges fans have been anticipating a record that picks up where Breakfast in the Fields and Aerial Boundaries left off, and with Oracle, Hedges finally delivers--sort of. This primarily instrumental release at times recalls those classic albums, but Hedges' fingerstyle pyrotechnics are not the focus here. Some fans may lament his heavy use of a plectrum, but they'll also appreciate the experimental spirit that drove him to follow up the appropriately titled "Dirge" with the strummed, kick-ass frolic "Jitterboogie." This is a moody, complex collection that stands up to repeated listening. (Windham Hill)
--James Jensen
Sinti. More than a decade ago, Gypsy jazz guitar prodigy Bireli Lagrene rocketed to stardom at age 15 by recreating the stunning guitar work of Django Reinhardt. Today, a 13-year-old Belgian guitarist named Jimmy Rosenberg is following the same path, ripping through Django standards like "Dark Eyes" and "Limehouse Blues" with his band, Sinti. Although Rosenberg lacks the rich, sweet tone of more mature Gypsy jazz guitarists like Romane and Stochelo Rosenberg, this debut CD shows great promise for the young musician, who draws on contemporary sources like "Isn't She Lovely" and the theme from The Flintstones to make his work more accessible. (Columbia)
--David McCarty
John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra, Harvey-Gray Guitar Concertos. On his latest recording, Williams brilliantly performs the premieres of two fine new guitar concertos. The five movements of Richard Harvey's Concerto Antico for guitar and small orchestra are based on old European song and dance forms. Haunting melodies and lush textures--especially in the "Cantileña" movement--give it the potential to unseat Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez as the genre's most popular work. Steve Gray's Guitar Concerto possesses both passion and humor, and his jazz proclivities emerge in the brass figures and salty dissonances of the outer movements. A significant disc. (Sony)
--Mark Small
Solas, Solas. Hallelujah! Generation X conquers Irish trad! This extraordinary quintet packs more of a wallop than anybody I've heard since Luka Bloom. Seamus Egan (guitar and every imaginable woodwind) sits at the vortex, while John Doyle propels things with inventive and unrelenting guitar work. Karan Casey sings with a clarity and immediacy that'll make you weep. Johnny Cunningham produced, but he wisely stayed out of the band's way as they wove jigs, reels, songs, and airs together into a thoroughly delightful suite. Here's a CD worth studying and a band worth seeing live. (Shanachie)
--Danny Carnahan
Steven King, Delight of String. The winner of the 1994 National Fingerpicking Guitar Championships, Steven King leaves no doubt here that he's one of the top players in this demanding style. Able to execute improvised bass runs beneath his fluid melody lines, King adapts such seemingly impossible tunes as Weather Report's jazz classic "Birdland" in arrangements that defy the limitations of six strings and ten fingers. Even at its most complex, King's playing remains rich-toned and musical and always puts the melody first. (Steven King, PO Box 1557, Renton, WA 98057)
--David McCarty
Wiley Jim Pfeiffer, Out of the West. It's time to take southwestern music beyond the stereotypes of cowboys, mariachis, and twin fiddles. So states Pfeiffer, and he sets out to prove it with original compositions that challenge tradition without offending traditionalists. Sweet ballads and swing tunes abound, and all are enriched by Pfeiffer's lyrical yet energetic playing. His new DuPont guitar sings in "Redheaded Gal" and "Minor Irritation," and he's backed up by some fine players, including his brother on French horn. French horn? (Wily Western Music, PO Box 266, Cebolla, NM 87518)
--Riley Tharp
Peter Himmelman, Stage Diving. This live collection from the highly respected singer-songwriter is culled from just one show at the Bottom Line in New York. Himmelman's best material shines in this stripped-down format, unencumbered by "hit hopeful" production. This isn't a greatest-hits collection, but several of his best songs, "Impermanent Things" and "Flown This Acid World," are thankfully included, and a new song, "One Shot at Love," shows off his knack for combining intelligent thoughts with a killer hook. (Plump, 30 W. 21st St., Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10010)
--James Jensen
Steve Tilston and Maggie Boyle, All under the Sun. With the Fairport Convention lads as a backup band, these two singers trade off on both trad and self-penned songs in the Brit folk-pop vein. Tilston's songs, like the sprightly "Man Gone Down," resonate with social
consciousness. And Boyle's voice is just right for love-gone-wrong ballads like "Fair Annie." There's some inventive guitar interplay between Tilston and Fairport's Maartin Allcock, and the instrumental "The Cage," with Tilston on guitar accompanying Boyle on flute, is particularly nice. (Flying Fish/Rounder)
--Danny Carnahan
Andrew York, Perfect Sky. While there is no dearth of classical guitarists with astonishing technique, few have York's talent for composition. He begins with "Sunburst," the piece that earned him international recognition when John Williams recorded it eight years ago. Then there's "Green Galliard," a Renaissance revival work, the moody ragtime piece "Andecy," and a jazzed-up version of the ever-popular Vince Guaraldi anthem "Linus and Lucy." York's music is melodic, well-structured, and devoid of the annoying special effects favored by so many fingerstyle guitarists these days. (GSP, 514 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94107-1217)
--Diane Gordon
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