Hit List

 

Norman Blake, Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm

Norman Blake is the kind of musician you might wish you had for a neighbor—someone whose guitar playing and singing can create an intimate, homey atmosphere. This solo CD showcases Blake’s ability to let the music tell its own story. It features several of his masterfully composed, vintage-sounding songs (as well as a few actual old ones) and a nice collection of seldom-heard reels and hornpipes. Enjoy the fine picking on "Savannah Rag," with its odd modulation from G major to E major, and "Rag Baby Jig," which is not a jig at all but sounds like something between a rag and a Klezmer freylach. (Shanachie)

—Sue Thompson

 

Peter Mulvey, The Trouble with Poets

This up-and-coming rock troubadour makes big strides in his latest studio effort. The Leo Kottke influence that presided over Mulvey’s earlier records is fading, replaced by Tom Waits and the Latin Playboys, although Mulvey’s agile, funky acoustic guitar remains central. Mulvey’s partner in crime David Goodrich adds atmospheric electric guitar and mandolin throughout, from the rocking title track to the chanted "Bright Idea" to the wistful "Tender Blindspot," and the duo even takes a breezy "intermission" with Fats Waller’s "You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams." Witty, poetic, and hip, Mulvey is creating a potent new vision of acoustic rock. (Signature Sounds)

—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

 

Manfred Dierkes, It’s About Time

This German fingerstyle jazz guitarist defies the adage "they don’t write ’em like that anymore" with several originals that sound right at home with "Alone Together," "My Romance," and other well-known standards. Performing solo on acoustic archtop and classical guitars, Dierkes deftly pulls off a multitude of tricky riffs on the bebop knuckle-busters "Donna Lee," "Billie’s Bounce," and "Lester Leaps In," but he doesn’t muddle the gorgeous spaces in "Prelude to a Kiss" and "Skylark." The pulsing samba of Dierke’s "Choro" and the lavish changes of his "Key Largo" are as impressive and memorable as the timeless music that inspires him. (Acoustic Music)

—Jim Ohlschmidt

 

Liz Carroll, Lost in the Loop

Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll radiates fire and grace on her first solo effort in a decade. The original tunes "Sevens" and "The Golden Legs" reveal Carroll as a mature composer of sparkling, inventive tunes that are grounded in the Irish tradition. Chestnuts like "The Musical Priest" and "The Bag of Spuds" sound fresh, with snappy new arrangements and deft production by Solas’ Seamus Egan. Carroll’s highly ornamented fiddling is driving on the jigs and reels yet delicate and plaintive on the airs. John Doyle provides the inventive, rock-steady accompaniment with his trademark groove-bludgeon guitar work, and Zan McCleod offers some nifty counterpoint on bouzouki. Guest appearances by guitarist Dáithí Sproule, fiddler Winifred Horan, and others round out the festivities. (Green Linnet)

—Paul Kotapish

 

 

Djalme de Andrade (Bola Sete), Ocean Memories

This double-CD set is the second reissue of material the late Brazilian guitarist recorded for Fantasy Records in 1972. Andrade plays pieces by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell as well as several originals that strongly reflect the African and indigenous aspects of his country’s music. His remarkable technical command is clear from the first note, but the most compelling aspect of Andrade’s playing is the spiritual and emotional power it conveys. Although the sound here suffers from Chronic Reverb Syndrome, this is essential listening for fans of Brazilian guitar and all others who value deep, soulful music. (Samba Moon)

—Ron Forbes-Roberts

 

Eddie from Ohio, Looking Out the Fishbowl

The sixth release from this independent, pigeonhole-defying quartet blends witty and thoughtful lyrics with tight vocal harmonies over a foundation of bass, rhythm guitar, and percussion. The 15 original songs span samba, bluegrass, Irish, serious ballads, and more. Although there are surprises and delights aplenty in this disc’s 64-plus minutes, Julie Murphy Wells’ agile and humorously nuanced voice is a particular treat, especially on the small-town saga of an aggrieved "other woman" in "Eddie’s Concubine." (Virginia Soul)

—Ben Elder

 

Richard Starkey and Mark Cosgrove, Delaware Crossing

Individually, Mark Cosgrove and Richard Starkey are two of the hottest, most inventive flatpickers around. Together, they’re simply dynamite, playing off each others’ melodic ideas and creating unique, captivating harmony parts seemingly on the fly. Starkey, the chief guitar setup technician for the Martin Guitar Co., plays in a traditionally rooted style that never sounds forced or out of place. Cosgrove, who captured the 1995 National Flatpicking Championship, delights in playing his way out of the musical corners he paints himself into. Their collaboration is flatpicking at its best. (Noisy Neighbors)

—David McCarty

 

Sol Y Canto, En Todo Momento

This all-acoustic percussion, vocal, guitar, and cuatro ensemble makes romantic and very danceable music drawn from several Latin American traditions: Cuban son, Peruvian lando, and Puerto Rican bomba, to name a few. Brian Amador is a superb guitarist with a crystalline tone whose playing and compositions reflect his deep knowledge of traditional styles as well as a more contemporary harmonic vocabulary. This music is so full of high spirits and energy that at times the players sound ready to leave the ground. (Redwing)

—Ron Forbes-Roberts

 

Big Bill Broonzy, Trouble in Mind

Bill Broonzy was one of the greatest acoustic blues guitarists ever, with a bagful of original licks and a thumping bass sound that no one else has ever captured. He was also a great singer with a clear, high voice who could easily have fronted a gospel or R&B group. Broonzy recorded heavily before World War II, performed at John Hammond’s Spirituals to Swing Carnegie Hall concert in 1939, and made important European tours in the ’50s. He’s at the peak of his powers on these late ’50s sessions. High points include a spectacular version of "Key to the Highway" and his definitive instrumental "Shuffle Rag." (Smithsonian Folkways)

—Duck Baker

 

Air Parma

Guitarist George Marinelli (from Bruce Hornsby’s and Bonnie Raitt’s bands), drummer Vince Santoro (the Cicadas), and bassist/pianist Mark Prentice have joined forces to create this energetic pop-rock record reminiscent of Squeeze and early Beatles. The melodies and harmonies are delightful, the lyrics are warm and witty, and the guitar work is as varied and superb as the songwriting. Some songs are plaintive ("Wondering"), some are pretty ("Andale"), some are jangly ("One Less Wounded Heart"). These ten original tunes will sing themselves in your head for days. (Wing Ding)

—Lissy Abraham

 

Sources

Noisy Neighbors, 6853 Tohickon Hill Rd., Pipersville, PA 18947; (215) 766-2722.

Redwing, PO Box 577575, Chicago, IL 60657-7575; www.musicamador.com.

Samba Moon, 3020 Bridgeway St., Suite 55, Sausalito, CA 94965; www.sambamoon.com.

Virginia Soul, PO Box 7431, McLean, VA 22106, www.efohio.com.

Wing Ding, PO Box 121651, Nashville, TN 37209; www.airparma.com.

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, October 2000, No. 94.

 

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