Peter Case, Full Service No Waiting. This, the seventh installment of Peter Case's infectious brand of hobo-pop, is the best since his eponymous debut 12 years ago. The spare production, featuring Case's acoustic guitar and Greg Leisz' Dobro and lap steel, perfectly frames Case's Lennon-esque vocals and hard-edged romantic tales. Leisz is in particularly fine form here. His repetitive Dobro line on "Until the Next Time" combined with Case's self-defining bridge ("Just another outcast / Underneath the overcast / Waitin' on a sunny day / Tryin' to find the words to say") helps turn the song into a small folk-rock masterpiece. (Vanguard)
--Scott Nygaard
Gipsy Kings, Compas. Ten years after "Bamboleo," this French Gypsy septet can still galvanize one's leg muscles with their trademark "rumba flamenca." On this, their ninth CD, the Kings continue to sing as if their hearts were about to burst from their chests, playing rhythms forceful enough to tear many guitars apart. On Compas, however, Egyptian and North African colorations have been brilliantly incorporated into their mostly original compositions. The Egyptian violin melodies are achingly beautiful and dovetail perfectly with the flamenco leads. Another inspiring and well-recorded effort by this fine troupe of guitarists. (A&M/Nonesuch)
--Danny Carnahan
Eric Schoenberg and Richard Scholtz, Late Night Conversation. Noted for his superior guitar arrangements and magnificent musical tone (not to mention his exquisite guitars), Eric Schoenberg is among our most prominent explorers of guitar melody and mood. He is teamed here with Richard Scholtz, a master of nuance on the Autoharp and dulcimer. The resulting "live duets" provide a wordless forum to investigate how the counterpoint of chords can change the feel of a lovely melody. An intimate, after-hours musical conversation that has the feel of a living-room session because that is exactly where the recording was made. (Live Music, 2901 26th St., Bellingham, WA 98225)
--Roger Deitz
Harmonious Wail, Live at the Zelt Musik Festival. When the late Stephane Grappelli heard Harmonious Wail's swing-charged set at Germany's annual Zelt Musik Festival, he remarked enthusiastically, "They are playing my music!" High praise from the greatest swing violinist ever, but this Madison, Wisconsin-based band deserves the accolade. Driven by the Jethro Burns-inspired mandolin of Sims Delaney-Potthoff, sultry vocals by his wife, Maggie, and Doug Brown's swinging guitar, the band covers everything from swing standards like "Tico Tico" and Stuff Smith's "It Ain't Right" to classics like "Exactly Like You," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," and "How High the Moon" with timeless grace. (Bufflehead, PO Box 14033, Madison, WI 53714-0033)
--David McCarty
Paula Joy Welter, Morning Light. Welter's voice is able to go down deep, grab the low notes, and bring them back to the surface. It's reminiscent of the late Kate Wolf's. Indeed, Welter's California folk style owes much to Wolf, so her selection of Wolf's former guitarist Nina Gerber to produce this CD and play guitar on most of the tracks makes a lot of sense. Welter's writing style is lyrically evocative and crisp, and it really shines when Gerber's guitar playing jumps out from between the lines. (Starry Sky Music, PO Box 1066, Lotus, CA 95651)
--Steve Givens
Dead Leaves Rising, Shadow Complex. Eighteen-year-old Jon De Rosa takes gothic melancholia into the folk realm on his debut, a collection of gloomy songs that grapple with concepts of faith. Graceful arpeggios and lilting chord sequences are accompanied on different tunes by an interesting array of elements: mournful electric guitar, hand percussion, drum kit, viola, harp, and keyboards. De Rosa's bass vocals possess a theatrical quality that offers a nice contrast to his acoustic six-string, and he sustains a balance of light and dark that keeps the songs compelling. (Brighter, PO Box 145, Manasquan, NJ 08736)
--Bryan Reesman
Deanta, Whisper of a Secret. There are a fair number of Irish bands on the touring trail these days trying to be the next Altan. Well, Deanta has a good shot at the title, largely because the band doesn't have to try very hard to impress. Mary Dillon has one of the sweetest, most effortless voices I've ever heard, and she casts a glow on the arrangements that the rest of the band happily basks in. This, the band's second album, is a gentle work; even the jig and reel sets uncoil lazily, without breaking a sweat. Eoghan O'Brien's guitar work is solid, subtle, and unobtrusive. (Green Linnet, 43 Beaver Brook Rd., Danbury, CT 06810)
--Danny Carnahan
Julie Henigan, American Stranger. This is a stunningly beautiful collection of traditional and traditional-sounding songs. An expert at employing D A D G A D (she has completed a D A D G A D instruction book for Mel Bay), Henigan shows how this tuning can be an effective alternative to standard tuning. Her creative playing and singing is intimate and fresh, with guitar and banjo work that is clean and assured--expressive, yet tastefully restrained. That may be the key to the album's success. Henigan never over-performs songs or caricatures traditional performers of the past. (Waterbug, PO Box 6605, Evanston, IL 60204)
--Roger Deitz
Varnaline, A Shot and a Beer. For this EP, group leader Anders Parker went into the studio alone to craft six acoustic tunes that reflect the thoughts of an introspective soul in isolation, sadly relating tales of fractured relationships. Parker sings and plays guitar on all the numbers, and on "Bardust" he adds electric guitar and xylophone accompaniment. While the musicianship and vocals have some rough edges, there's an appealing honesty to these stark songs, which are enhanced by the lo-fi recording techniques. Tunes like "Hear the Birds Cry" and the instrumental "Judges Seventeen" feature some beautifully melancholy melodies. (Zero Hour, 14 W. 23rd St., New York, NY 10010)
--Bryan Reesman
FOLIOS
Richard Thompson Teaches Traditional Guitar Instrumentals. This CD repackaging of the Homespun 1986 tape tutorial provides a marvelous, casual visit with Thompson, who explains and demonstrates his settings for eight Celtic tune arrangements, including ideas for jigs, reels, hornpipes, strathspeys, polkas, and slow airs. Thompson's teaching style is relaxed and conversational, as he takes you through examples of D A D G A D, dropped-D, and the exotic F G D G C D ("Maggie Cameron"), all broken down nice and slow. This is a lovely treat for any Celtic guitar enthusiast: a friendly chat with a master. (Homespun)
--Danny Carnahan
Winfield Winners: The National Flatpicking Champions. As home of the National Flatpicking Championships for 25 years, the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, has set the standard for flatpicking guitar competitions. Now, 14 transcriptions from former flatpick winners are available for aspiring guitarists. Some of the tunes are relatively well known, such as "Dixie Breakdown" (played by Mark O'Connor) and "Greensleeves" (brilliantly interpreted by Steve Kaufman). Others, like Stephen Bennett's version of "Greased Pig," Gary Cook's "Red Cliff," and Peter McLaughlin's "Augusta Ridge," are original tunes destined to become campfire jam favorites. The book includes musical notation and tablature and a CD with recordings of each tune to aid in the learning process. (Mel Bay)
--David McCarty
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