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Rebecca Martin, Thoroughfare
Rebecca Martin, the former singer-guitarist for the now-defunct
band Once Blue, embraces her breezy jazz-pop tendencies on this
ten-song solo outing. Martin is an of-the-moment kind of writer
whose tenderhearted narratives about down-and-out little guys
like "Joey" and even the bum who broke her heart in
"Empty Hands" ("Why I put what meant the world
to me in your empty hands") are accompanied by dreamy jazz
noodling and gently plucked acoustic notes. Backed by a polished
three-piece band, Martin’s blurred snatches of sunshine and occasional
world-weariness come off equal parts fresh and fearless. (RebbyTunes)
—Karen Iris Tucker
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Various artists, Republica
Dominicana
While the world beats a musical path to Cuba’s door, Putumayo
has put together this compilation of hot Dominican bachata
artists to remind us how lively the rest of the Caribbean is.
The musicians here are particularly fond of the guitar, which
in the bluesy bachata style sounds like an odd cross between
West African soukous guitar and Paraguayan harp. Most of
the tracks are new, though veteran bachata masters like
Alberto Beltrán and Joseito Mateo y Luis Kalaff show how
the style sounded a generation ago. Lovers of Cuban music will
have a hard time sitting still for this. (Putumayo)
—Danny Carnahan
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Steve James, Boom
Chang
Steve James just keeps getting better. He’s got plenty of support
on Boom Chang—Asleep at the Wheel’s Cindy Cashdollar on
Dobro and Weissenborn, Alvin Youngblood Hart on guitar and mandolin,
and the Bad Livers’ Mark Rubin on bass and tuba. Boom Chang
is not quaint or folksy or pretty. It’s big, brash country blues,
full of spit and swagger. James plays his guitar as hard as he
can, ringing the high strings and thumping the low ones, banging
them for all they’re worth. The resulting sound is clear, bright,
and lively. (Burnside)
—Kenny Berkowitz
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Orville Johnson, Slide and Joy
Orville Johnson places his Dobro and slide guitar in musical
settings where they are, as a rule, anomalies. While he does rip
and whine through bluegrass and blues numbers, his ventures into
New Orleans and modern jazz, Booker T. and the MGs–style R&B,
and Latin-American styles give this CD its unique character. Johnson’s
obvious understanding of and reverence for these genres and his
abilities as both a soloist and an ensemble player, not to mention
his very adept and expressive playing, make Slide and Joy
a treat. In addition, guitarist John Miller contributes some typically
wonderful compositions and playing. (Orville Johnson)
—Ron Forbes-Roberts
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Waybacks, Devolver
The San Francisco–based Waybacks have the right combination
of chops and humor to make Devolver an album that no fan
of modern string bands should miss. Although guitarists James
Nash and Stevie Coyle dish up some hot flat- and fingerpicking
respectively, the coherent sound of this five-piece band makes
this a fine representation of contemporary acoustic music. Shades
of bluegrass make up much of the album, but the band also covers
Charlie Parker’s "Scrapple from the Apple," John Fahey’s
"The Last Steam Engine Train," and even "The Monkey
Song" from Disney’s Jungle Book. (Fiddling Cricket)
—Teja Gerken
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Trio Terracota, Savia
There’s no shortage of two-guitar-and-percussion trios these
days, but Trio Terracota is a distinctive voice among the multitudes.
Véronique Gillett and Fernando Freitez are excellent guitarists
whose technique and compositional sensibilities indicate considerable
time spent in classical studies. But while most of Savia’s
12 original pieces owe much to the classical tradition—a few might
even be described as neo–Spanish classical—they are all highly
adventurous and heavily influenced by ethnic and modern music.
(Acoustic Music)
—Ron Forbes-Roberts
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Various artists, The
Story the Crow Told Me: Classic Recordings from the 1920s and
1930s, Vols. 1 and 2
It’s difficult to imagine children raised on Pokémon and
Barney sitting still long enough to listen to these scratchy recordings
of old-time country and blues songs from the ’20 and ’30s. That’s
unfortunate, because the music on these two volumes is alive with
the sort of outlandish wordplay and farcical stories that children
love. The selections include songs like "Sourwood Mountain,"
"King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-me-o," and "Liza
up in the Simmon Tree" sung by singers such as Bradley Kincaid,
Leroy Carr, Bo Carter, and Fisher Hendley and his Aristocratic
Pigs. (Shanachie)
—Michael Simmons
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Chuck Suchy,
Different Line of Time
Chuck Suchy is a North Dakota farmer with a leathery squint who
writes songs about life in the heartland. His mature voice hovers
over the Great Plains like heat ripples above summer blacktop.
This is country music with its fingers in the soil and its heart
heading down the highway on an old Indian motorcycle. The songs
tell romantic stories about family, high school reunions, and
dancing in the kitchen ("The kids might wonder, let’s keep ’em
guessing, what goes on here when they’re gone"). Peter Ostroushko’s
lean production effectively uses guitars, fiddles, and mandolins,
while a didgeridoo paints a picture of prairie solitude on "Indian
Dreamer." (Little Bluestem)
—Gary Joyner
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Raphaël Faÿs,
En Concert
On this exceptional live recording, Raphaël Faÿs, one
of the great princes of Gypsy jazz guitar, proves that he’s one
of the style’s most commanding and dynamic guitarists. Faÿs
displays a breathtaking agility while racing with abundant grace
and vitality through standards like "Sweet Georgia Brown"
and "Minor Swing." But there’s much more to Faÿs’
playing than fleet fingers and nimbly executed arpeggios, as he
proves on the ballads "Claire de Lune" and Django Reinhardt’s
timeless "Nuages." Faÿs also includes a tour de
force foray into contemporary jazz with Chick Corea’s "Spain."
(GHA/Qualiton)
—David McCarty
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The Johnny Staats Project,
Wires and Wood
UPS deliveryman Johnny Staats is a triple threat on mandolin,
guitar, and fiddle, and his debut CD Wires and Wood features
fast-fingered, jaw-dropping bluegrass. From start to finish, Staats’
mandolin playing is staggering, filled with lightning-fast hammer-ons,
shimmering triplets, and pyrotechnic 16th notes executed with
the kind of bravura that’s closer to classical violin showpieces
than folk music. With backing by Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and
Tim O’Brien, it’s hard to imagine hearing a more perfect debut
or finding a better bluegrass album this year. (Giant)
—Kenny Berkowitz
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Cucanandy, He Didn’t
Dance
These three well-traveled and talented North Carolina–based musicians
dish up songs and tunes from Ireland, Canada, their southern home
turf, and beyond with rare panache and sparkle. Malke Rosenfeld’s
step-dancing and clogging drive many of the sets, supporting Mike
Casey’s flute and Stephanie Johnston’s guitar and vocals. All
three juggle other instruments as well, keeping the textures varied
and lively. Comparisons with Open House are inevitable, but the
Cucanandy gang have their own sound and clearly delight in the
music. (Milky Way)
—Danny Carnahan
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Gilbert Isbin, Gilbert
Isbin Plays Nick Drake
With almost a dozen albums under his belt, Belgian guitarist
Gilbert Isbin is an acclaimed fingerstylist whose music walks
the line between classical and jazz styles. On this unique concept
album, Isbin has chosen 11 songs spanning Nick Drake’s short career
as the basis for rich guitar instrumentals. It is startling to
hear songs like "River Man" and "Three Hours"
in this new context. The absence of Drake’s plaintive voice allows
the enchantment of his music to take center stage, and Isbin gives
Drake’s airy and magical melodies a new sense of nobility. (Traurige
Tropen)
—Gary Joyner
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Steve Young, Primal
Young
Steve Young is a musician’s musician, a songwriter’s songwriter,
and a singer’s singer—meaning that he’s really good and has somehow
managed to escape the public eye. Young’s politically minded country
rock and folk songwriting has influenced a host of musicians (Waylon
Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin) since he started recording
in the 1960s. His new record offers powerful, mature songs delivered
with an intensity and conscience reminiscent of Bruce Cockburn.
Especially moving are his ballads, where Young’s gigantic, uncompromising
voice really shines. (Appleseed)
—Rani Arbo
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Acoustic Music, Postfach 1945, D-49009 Osnabrück,
Germany; www.acoustic-music.de.
Appleseed, PO Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380; (610)
701-5755; www.appleseedrec.com.
Burnside, 3158 E. Burnside, Portland, OR 97214; (503)
231-8943; www.burnsiderecords.com.
Fiddling Cricket, 919 Michigan Ave., San Jose, CA 95125;
www.fiddlingcricket.com.
Little Bluestem, 4845 20th Ave., Mandan, ND 58554; (701)
663-7682.
Milky Way, 108 Hanna St., Carrboro, NC 27510; (919) 942-3725;
www.cucanandy.com.
Orville Johnson, PO Box 16435, Seattle, WA 98116; (206)
932-4971.
RebbyTunes, PO Box 366, Mexico, ME 04257, www.rebeccamartin.com.
Traurige Tropen, Collenbusch and Lucas, Edisonallee 10,
Bonn 53125, Germany; www.members.tripod.de/TraurigeTropen/
(distributed in the U.S. by www.eurock.com).
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Excerpted
from Acoustic
Guitar magazine, October 2000, No. 94.
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Want
to chime in with a review of your own? Post it in the Players
forum in Guitar Talk at
www.acousticguitar.com.
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