Psychograss, Like Minds. This breakthrough instrumental CD fuses five unrelentingly innovative acoustic musicians--Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, Todd Phillips, and David Grier--into a surprising ensemble. Psychograss refuses to place any boundaries or limitations on its musical explorations. Witness Trischka's quote from the Stones' "Paint It Black" in his first solo and Grier's blazing, tightrope-taut flatpicking guitar rave-up on Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun." Great original songs like Anger's "Tree King Creek," Phillips' "Big Monk," and Grier's rollicking "Tennessee Twister" give these like-minded acoustic explorers plenty of freedom to push into the musical unknown. (Sugar Hill, PO Box 5530, Durham, NC 27717-5300)
--David McCarty
Guy Davis, Call Down the Thunder. Davis' singing and picking skills alone would warrant a Hit List mention, but this young blues artist brings even more to the table. Ten of the 13 cuts on this CD are Davis' own well-structured compositions. They sound like unused takes from some 1928 session magically brought up to 1990s audiophile standards and augmented with subtle (though unnecessary) bass and drum accompaniment. (Red House, PO Box 4044, St. Paul, MN 55104)
--Dale Miller
Don Edwards, West of Yesterday. The smooth-voiced veteran cowboy singer came to wider public attention when his yodel was lassoed by Nanci Griffith for Other Voices, Other Rooms. Jim Rooney produced this CD (as well as others by Griffith, John Prine, and Iris DeMent), and he has a magical ability to use sparing numbers of voices and instruments in exactly the right places to get a rich, wide-open sound. This celebration of western music from past to present includes a select posse of musicians immersed in the tradition. (Warner Western)
--Ben Elder
Béla Fleck, V.M. Bhatt, and Jie-Bing Chen, Tabula Rasa. The latest cross-cultural adventure on the Water Lily Acoustics label brings together not only Fleck's newgrass banjo, Bhatt's north Indian slide guitar, and Chen's Chinese erh'hu, but adds in backing from bansuri flute, mrdangam (a south Indian drum), and Indian-style violin. That may sound like the makings of a musical tower of Babel, but in fact these master players create some moments of true magic. Different tunes spotlight different instruments; on "Emperor's Mare," the banjo and erh'hu do an exhilarating partner dance, while the banjo and guitar entwine beautifully on Fleck's "The Way of Love" and even--you've got to hear it to believe it--on a halfway Indianized "John Hardy." Melody reigns throughout, especially when Chen leads the ensemble, and all of the players show extraordinary taste and confidence as they sail through this uncharted territory. (Water Lily Acoustics, PO Box 91448, Santa Barbara, CA 93190)
--Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
Kate McKenzie, Age of Innocence. McKenzie's soul-stirring voice wraps itself around a song like few others, and on her second solo album she's surrounded herself with some of the very best bluegrass musicians to create a nearly perfect collection of traditional and contemporary songs. The haunting "Past the Point of Rescue," punctuated by Nick Forster's flatpicked guitar, Rob Ickes' slippery dobro, and Tony Furtado's potent banjo, unflinchingly evokes lost passion and despair. Great singing, powerful picking, and strong songs make this an exceptional disc. (Red House, PO Box 4044, St. Paul, MN 55104)
--David McCarty
EKO, Celtica. The instrumental group EKO, child of acoustic guitarist John O'Connor, explores Irish-inspired melodies on its fourth recording. The catchy, melodic compositions are served well by the CD's fresh and very dynamic production. As on previous releases, O'Connor blends his guitar work with many other instruments, rather than dominating the proceedings. He plays some very understated acoustic slide in the intro to the bluesy "Night Ferry" and then takes center stage on the Celtic/blues/ragtime pickin' tune "Across the Water." O'Connor finishes strong with "Jack Barry's Trap" and "Dublin to Delhi" and plays with a style and energy that make you want more. (Higher Octave)
--James Jensen
José Angel Navarro, Miel. This recording is a thrilling tour of the complex musical traditions of Cuba. Navarro begins with the riveting rhythms of the ceremonial bata drums of Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies, followed by compositions inspired by some of the other countless rhythms and melodies of one of the most musical countries on the planet. One can't help but think of Leo Brouwer's "Eternal Spiral," a piece that the composer described as "a synthesis of Cuban dances." Navarro, however, is as much an heir to the contemporary fingerstyle tradition of John Fahey as he is to Cuban styles. Miel opens a door to the unlimited possibilities of solo guitar. (Rounder)
--Diane Gordon
Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan, Double Vision. Good-time, bad-boy, high-life blues, anchored by Ball on harmonica and vocals and Sultan on guitar. Instrumental highlights are the Chicago-style electric guitar/harp duet "Sloppy Joe," and solos by solos by Sultan on "Sweet Georgia Brown/Bill Bailey" and Ball on "Wing and a Prayer." Elsewhere, the lyrics (more than half originals) fit irreverent and contemporary sentiments into traditional forms, especially on "Television," "Your Shoes Don't Fit My Feet," and "Automobile Mechanic." Add a funky, ad-hoc backup band of fiddle, bass, drums, mandolin, and cardboard box, and the juke-joint ambiance is complete. (Rounder)
--Russell Letson
Jesse Cook, Gravity. Cook's new release exceeds the promise of his first recording, Tempest, and charts new territory in hard-to-define but easy-to-listen-to instrumental music. The sound quality of this CD is stunning, with marvelous separation and tone. Trying to pick favorite tracks is hard because Cook's unique sense of melody is matched by creative and unique production throughout, but Cook's world music inklings are captured on the hypnotic, seductive "Closer to Madness," and his pop tendencies on the lovely "Rapture."(Narada)
--James Jensen
Dakota Dave Hull, New Shirt. The Twin Cities' most prominent collector of snazzy shirts and cool guitars plays several of the latter on this first-rate instrumental collection. In addition to his trademark western-swing flatpicking and elegant ragtime fingerstyle ("Right or Wrong," "Twin Ports Rag"), Hull plays four waltzes that range from the lovely ("Annie's Waltz") to the witty ("Bigtop Waltz"). A New Orleans&endash;flavored "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and a too-short solo of "Melancholy Baby" add even more variety. Hull's hot swing band includes Marc Anderson, Dan Newton, Peter Ostroushko, and Butch Thompson, among others. (Arabica Productions, 2515 36th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406)
--Russell Letson
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