CDs

Mark Erelli

Four-chord folk, roadhouse rock, country weepers with lots of highways and trains and lonely nights . . . the raw ingredients of the debut album by this young New Englander are surely familiar, but Mark Erelli cooks with them like a seasoned pro. For stylistic references, try John Hiatt and Steve Forbert, with youthful sincerity replacing the cynical wit. Erelli’s songs, delivered by an irresistible voice tinged with just the right kind of heartache, are strong throughout, but several are real gems—in particular the dreamy ballad "The River Road" and the exuberant folkabilly of "Midnight Train." Brimming over with energy, self-assurance, and natural gifts, Mark Erelli marks the beginning of a very promising new road. (Signature Sounds)

—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

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Eric Andersen, You Can’t Relive the Past

Recorded in Water Valley, Mississippi, and New York, New York, Eric Andersen’s latest has muscle and grit. "All my friends are dead and gone and I am growing old," he sings, and goes on to muse extensively (and with precious little nostalgia) on the passage of time. Half the tracks are acoustic guitar-driven folk; the other half are fueled by Mississippi legends Sam Carr on drums, James "Super Chikan" Johnson on electric guitar, and Kenny Brown on slide guitar. Andersen’s hypnotic poet’s growl stitches it all together. Included are debut recordings of four songs Andersen wrote with Townes Van Zandt in 1986. (Appleseed)

—Rani Arbo

George Shuffler, Aged to Perfection

George Shuffler was an important member of the great Stanley Brothers bands during their heyday in the 1950s and ’60s. His baritone vocals blended with Carter’s lead and Ralph’s tenor beautifully, and his powerful guitar solos were among the earliest in bluegrass. Aged to Perfection features down-to-earth guitar interpretations of early country classics like "Nine Pound Hammer" and "Willow Garden," showcasing the cross-picking technique that Shuffler developed in the ’50s. He overdubs his own rhythm guitar and bass and sticks to the same basic approach throughout, but Shuffler does it so well that one is left wanting more. (Copper Creek)

—Duck Baker

Eric Lugosch, Kind Heroes

Like a gifted storyteller, Eric Lugosch performs fingerstyle compositions and arrangements that are rich in detail and to the point. Original instrumentals such as "Primate House," "All I Wanna Do," and the title track abound with energy and rhythmic intricacy, while "Lingua Franca," though no less complex, describes a more sedate and melancholy scene. Lugosch’s reading of Pete Seeger’s classic "Living in the Country" struts along with a delightfully jaunty mambo beat, and John Loudermilk’s "Windy and Warm" gets a taut makeover with lots of extended pull-offs and moving bass lines. Three original vocal selections complete this outstanding set, including "I Love You, Don’t I?" a touching rumination on losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s. (Acoustic Music/Rykodisc)

—Jim Ohlschmidt

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Phil Haynes and Free Country

Drummer Phil Haynes, a long-standing member of New York’s downtown composers scene, has corralled a crew of like-minded upstarts for this startlingly unique acoustic offering that has one foot in the avant-garde and the other firmly planted in Americana. Accompanied by Hank Roberts on cello, Drew Gress on upright bass, and Jim Yanda on acoustic steel-string guitar, Haynes and crew have their way with traditional numbers like "Oh Susannah," "Danny Boy," and "Beautiful Dreamer," extrapolating, improvising, and otherwise jazzing up those familiar campfire melodies into something completely different. Yanda’s contributions are more textural and melodic than freewheeling and chops-oriented. Daring and delightfully twisted, the CD was recorded unamplified and direct to two-track. (Premonition)

—Bill Milkowski

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Joscho Stephan, Swinging Strings

Into the crowded arena of swing guitarists emulating Django Reinhardt steps 19-year-old Joscho Stephan. If his amazingly musical and melodic playing on this debut CD is any indication, he’ll be one of the new millennium’s guitar heroes. Gliding gracefully at warp speed over his Hoyer guitar’s fretboard without ever sounding rushed or frenetic, Stephan plays with an innate sense of the musical importance of each note. His dynamic, lyrical style and lush tone are utterly refreshing and captivating, and he breathes new life into "Swing 42," "Undecided," and 15 other Hot Club standards. (Acoustic Music/Rykodisc)

—David McCarty

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Tom Long, Live at McCabe’s

Fingerstyle guitarist Tom Long has a real soulful snap and a way of pulling emotion from his Lowden that recalls Bert Jansch. In this live "warts and all" concert CD, Long fears no string buzz and shrinks not from wringing notes and harmonics from Celtic, American, and original melodies with his confident fingers. He’ll deliver solid rhythmic grooves, then mess with tempos and rubato at just the right moment. It’s a quirky blend of back-snap British style and almost-frailing Yankee soul. And you’ve got to love a guitarist who can work both the Irish jig "Banish Misfortune" and Skip James’ "I’m So Glad" into a set. (Rubber Mojo)

—Danny Carnahan

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Lilly of the West, Dear and Kind

Open-minded bluegrass fans will get a kick out of this new release from Bulgaria’s first bluegrass band. The group features innocently fresh and heartfelt vocals from Lilly Drumeva backed by solid instrumental work with some unusual twists. Much of the material tends toward folk-country, and there are a couple of Bulgarian numbers that honor the band’s roots. Banjo player Rossen Hristov also plays Dobro and gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe). Guitarist Rayko Pepelanov uses a light touch and ornamentation more reminiscent of Irish music than of Tony Rice, yet his break on "I’ll Remember You Love in My Prayers" would draw a burst of applause at any bluegrass festival. (Lilly Drumeva)

—Sue Thompson

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Michael Strutt, Farewell to the Mountains

Anyone familiar with the sound of the Japanese koto or with "Sakura Variations" will have noticed how guitaristic Japanese music can be. On Farewell to the Mountains, Canadian guitarist Michael Strutt has arranged music by 19th- and 20th-century Japanese composers as well as pieces by contemporary Western composers like Lou Harrison and Alan Hovhaness that draw on a Japanese aesthetic. With 37 tracks from 12 composers in just over 60 minutes, one might expect a very disjointed listening experience, so it’s surprising how well this album flows. Strutt’s playing and arrangements are right on, creating a sustained mood of balance and quiet contemplation. (Michael Strutt)

—Stephen Dick

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SOURCES

Appleseed, PO Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380; (610) 701-5755; www.appleseedrec.com.

Copper Creek, PO Box 3161, Roanoke, VA 24015; (540) 563-5937; www.coppercreekrec.com.

Lilly Drumeva, Oboriste 18, Sofia 1504, Bulgaria; www.ednet.co.uk/~russell/lilly/lilywest.htm.

Premonition, 1147 W. Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60622; (312) 243-7323; www.premonitionandmusic.com.

Rubber Mojo, (949) 642-4442; www.rubbermojo.com.

Signature Sounds, PO Box 106, Whately, MA 01093; (800) 694-5354; www.signature-sounds.com.

Michael Strutt, 2213 Oak St., Vancouver, BC V6H 3W6, Canada; strutts@netcom.ca.