Spring 2023
Jamie Stillway, "Lullaby for a Stranger," 2022
Fans who have tracked the output of guitarist Jamie Stillway know her as a mostly acoustic fingerstyle player - until her last 2 recordings. City Static saw Stillway cross more into electric guitar, yet retaining her
fingerstyle approach. In her latest release, Lullaby For a Stranger, Stillway ventures more deeply into the textures and color palette of electric guitar, aided by her custom Maegen Wells archtop and a number of
delays and effects along with dynamic use of microphones to achieve an ethereal, other-worldly resonance. The record is deeply personal, tracing out musically Stillway's understanding of her grandmother's journey 70
years ago across half the United States, resulting in Jamie's own mother's birth. Several songs use altered tunings, allowing Stillway to more easily create unique chord voicings. This is a record for listening, allowing
reflection and space to hear this journey in its courage and sadness. We join the journey aurally, as Stillway conjures bare melody lines backed by delay and shadowy soundscapes. "A More Permanent Medium" is more
straightforward in offering a traditional single-string melody augmented by choice chords. "Wood and Windows" is a shimmering breath where notes in the higher registers couple with windchimes to perhaps lead us to
the end of the journey and a place of rest. The title track "Lullaby For a Stranger" closes out the CD, with a repeated line that builds and bends and then fades as if it's time is done. Throughout Lullaby For a
Stranger, Stillway offers lovely, simple melodies that catch your ears and don't let go. A wonderful listening experience.
Steve Dawson, "Eyes Closed, Dreaming," 2023
Steve Dawson's feast of an album draws on a Who's Who of talented roots musicians to back up and support his own superb talents. Eyes Closed, Dreaming is the last in a set the Canadian guitarist, now residing
in Nashville, terms his "pandemic trilogy," three albums released since the virus forced musicians into isolation. While players' contributions were pieced together remotely from various locations, the sound,
immediacy, and synergy defy geography in this masterful display of song craft. (On a majority of tracks appear Jay Bellerose or Gary Craig on drums; Jeremy Holmes on bass and upright bass; and Chris Gestrin on
pump organ and piano, joined here and there with other guest artists). The eleven tracks include four original songs written with Matt Patershuk, covers, traditional ballads, and two instrumentals. Dawson kicks
off the album with Ian Tyson's classic, "Long Time to Get Old," a rollicking duet with Allison Russell that features a fingerpicked mandolin solo by Fats Kaplan and Dawson's riveting electric and slide guitars.
"The Gift" opens with a flourish and moves into energetic fingerpicked territory, while "Hemingway" showcases Dawson's fun with lyrics ("The marlin was a real fish, he said….What's the use of metaphor?") Here
Dawson's daughter Casey Dawson adds vocals while the graceful strings of Kaitlyn Raistz on cello and Ben Plotnick on violin and viola weave in and out. One of the strongest pieces on the album is traditional
"House Carpenter" with Dawson's thrilling, intricate guitar (Weissenborn, electric) and the treat of solo mandolin by the legendary Tim O'Brien. While unconventional horns (Jerry Cook on baritone sax;
Dominic Conway, tenor sax; and Malcomm Aiken, trumpet) add a little soul to Bobby Charles' "Small Town Talk," there's a quasi-New Orleans' vibe to instrumental "Waikiki Stonewall Rag." Also showcasing Dawson's
virtuoso chops on Weissenborn, National guitar, and ukulele is "Singin the Blues," where he and Chris Gestrin's piano provide a thrilling ragtime blues treatment. Among several superb originals is "The Owl,"
in which Dawson plays both lap steel, fingerpicked acoustic, and 12 string with mesmerizing skill that underscore the mysteries of nature the song celebrates. While the wide-ranging compositions highlight the
interplay among the musicians, at the album's heart are Dawson's stunning talents in composition, melody, and counterpoint. His pleasing vocals switch effortlessly among all the styles represented on the album
and are particularly effective on his unembellished version of John Hartford's "Let Him Go On Mama." Here, alone with his Weissenborn, his playing is especially resonant on this rich, varied, and exceptional album.
Frances Luke Accord, "Safe in Sound," 2023
Frances Luke Accord is the heady dreamfolk duo of singer/songwriters Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers. With their intertwining harmonies and emotive life views, the duo brings to mind the thoughtful work of
Simon and Garfunkel. Safe in Sound is the followup to FLA's first LP, Fluke, in 2016, and four EPs, as well as a couple of live collections. The two artists clearly have been quite productive since they met
and began performing together at the University of Notre Dame about a dozen years ago. Safe in Sound features what NPR's Mountain Stage aptly described as "the definition of lean-in music." The fingerstyle
guitars, soothing melodies and gentle whimsey from these indie folkies play like sunlight shimmering through your kitchen window. However, the gossamer belies the quiet power that propels these 12 all-original
tracks, woven baskets of lyrical tendrils. Life, love, friendship, harmony, nature - these themes waft out and sift into memory. The lyrics from FLA's "All the Things" convey the sincerity present throughout:
"Sing me out if I'm lonely / Breathe me in if I'm blue / Fill me up if I'm hollow / Break me down if I'm through / And if I'm asleep oh could you wake me too … / When those rainclouds are rumbling down / Feel
your roots all flooding in doubt /But when it thunders a bit too loud / I'll sing for you my songbird and find some solid ground / Oh if it's cold / And when we're in our grave / Alive as stones / Stuck in
some shape / With all our dust deep in our shade / I'll sing for you my songbird sing beyond my days." The duo composed the bulk of this album during Covid's isolation, and the contemplative sensibility shows
an appreciation for the time allowed to be turning inward while simultaneously appreciating the less-accessible outward. Other titles also help to convey the album's character: "Window," "Dust to Dust," "This
Morning," "Friend You've Been," "In My Life." The name of the group - as the duo explained in a 2014 interview - "was forged from the depths of our laziness during our senior year of college. It's a combination
of (moderately) obscure self-references. We'd probably still be going as Brian and Nick if we hadn't released Kandote." That last refers to a 2012 EP that was a collaboration with the Barefoot Truth Children's
Choir from Uganda. Basically, Safe in Sound's meditative bent explores the connectiveness of everything we are, and of everything we know. Just think, as someone once opined: "I am he as you are he as you are
me and we are all together." Hard not to dig that.
Sean Hall, "A Wild Arcadia," 2022
According to percussive fingerstylist Sean Hall, the tunes on his EP Wild Arcadia come from a place where chaos (wild) and serenity (Arcadia) intersect. The melodies, fretwork and percussive style of Hall's
technique all bear out the aptness of this title. The opening track, "Treshold," is the epitome of this juxtaposition, alternating between serene and less tame movements. If you appreciate the music of Antoine
Dufour, Andy Mckee, or Spencer Elliot, you find Wild Arcadia well worth a listen. Hall's sonic terrain is reminiscent of some of Dufour's body of work, however, Hall carves out his own sonic identity particularly
in terms of rhythm and melody. Both "Montreal" and "Cliffs of Edinburgh" are melodic ear worms that pull the listener introspectively deeper into the currents of Hall's fluid command of rhythm and melody. An aggressive
panning technique from one of my favorite tunes on Led Zeppelin's second album gives "Montreal" a dramatic edge interwoven into a scintillating performance. "Xenia" is an adventurous rhythmic ride that that reminds
me of 70's prog rock with rhythmic stops and starts, both percussively and in terms of fretwork, again alluding to the alternating forces of serene and wild, chill and frenetic. The balance and timbre of Hall's
Lowden 025 really shines on all six tracks and stands as a testament to the quality of George Lowden's ability to produce fingerstyle instruments decade after decade. Not surprisingly, Antoine Dufour handles all
production and mastering on the six original Hall compositions on this CandyRat Label release. In terms of the producer artist dynamic, Hall and Dufour have formed a sort of symbiotic sonic space on Wild Arcadia.
In fact, Dufour and Hall meshed so well they have a duet EP scheduled for release this summer. Hall's website offers plenty of video footage of his playing, featuring duets with label mates Don Ross and Trevor
Gordon Hall. Hall tours regularly and I am eager to see his artistry and acoustic magic in person show in the near future.
Jo Jena, "Hydrangea," 2022
German guitarist Jo Jena makes his recording debut with his nylon string fanned fret 7-string Stoll guitar on Hydrangea. The acoustic portion of the album is split between original compositions and arrangements
of challenging jazz and fusion music. "Suite Part I: Norwegian Odd" earns its title with a kind of paraphrase of the Beatles tune "Norwegian Wood." Played fingerstyle with liberal use of the instrument's lower
register, it strongly suggests its inspiration without ever actually quoting it directly. "Suite Part II: El Arpa de la guerrera" takes its title from a piece by Cuban composer/guitarist Leo Brouwer, and
alternates lyrical passages with propulsive odd-metered Moto perpetuo. "Suite Part III: Hydrangea" gives the album its title with a gentle, almost folk-like melody. Wayne Shorter's "Teru" (from his 1967
album Adam's Apple) is a beautiful ballad. Kenny Wheeler's "Ma Belle Hélène" (from his 1990 album The Widow In The Window, featuring guitarist John Abercrombie) is played freely, an interpretation suggesting
the way Ralph Towner might approach it. The final cover is Allan Holdsworth's "Zarabeth" (from his 1992 album Wardenclyffe Tower), largely bypassing Holdsworth's solo pyrotechnics and stripping the tune back
to its lyrical compositional basics. The album closes with the extended "Ilkley Moor," one of Jena's free solo ambient improvisations employing electric guitar, electronics, and looping. A slowly evolving
soundscape, it provides a contrast to the acoustic pieces as well as a lovely final chapter.
Eric Bibb, "Ridin'," 2023
Eric Bibb performs like his soul is on fire on Ridin'. The two-time Grammy-nominated blues-based singer/songwriter and guitarist simmers and burns through the 15 impassioned tracks on his 24th studio album.
Bibb's focus -- and from the opening notes there's never a question about his authenticity -- is lasered in on the racial divide and social injustice percolating throughout this country. Bibb teams with producer
and co-writer Glen Scott, who creates a haunting soundscape that harkens back to the earliest searing blues recordings. The thumping percussion and dark overtones swirling throughout this collection will make the
hair on the back of your neck stand on end and coax goosebumps up and down your arms. This music will get under your skin. It's just that real. Bibb's deliberate guitar work allows each plucked note to resonate
like a perfectly timed punch. In addition to Bibb's vibrant voice, the album is enriched by a bevy of soulful backup singers. Bibb co-wrote most of these impassioned numbers, including the title track, an anthemic
paean to The Freedom Train, as well as "Tulsa Town," "People You Love," "Family," "Blues Funky Like Dat" (featuring Taj Mahal), and "Call Me By My Name," in which he sings "I'm a man, not your boy, you will call
me by my name." Bibb's "The Ballad of John Howard Griffin" tells the story of the author of Black Like Me, who championed racial equality, and who suffered mightily for it. The song features guest guitarist Russell
Malone (also featured on "Hold the Line," with the couplet "the only remedy I see is a tidal wave of love everywhere"), whose graceful runs effectively contrast the serious subject matter. Bibb's musical pedigree
is steeped in the burgeoning folk scene of 1960s Greenwich Village, as his father was a performing artist and activist during that period, and his uncle was in the Modern Jazz Quartet. Bibb's godfather was
actor/activist Paul Robeson, and Pete Seeger was a family friend. Bibb's musical heroes at the time included Odetta, Joan Baez and the New Lost City Ramblers. With such a heritage, it's no surprise that Bibb also
provides a heartfelt reading of the traditional "500 Miles," propelled by Scott's powerful arrangement. He also includes a live track of "Sinner Man" with his Eric Bibb String Band. Bibb has said, "As a songwriter,
studying African American history has always been a deep well of inspiration. The stories of my ancestors and their communities are at the heart of many of the songs on Ridin'. " Bibb is clearly a man who knows his
heart, and who has truly discovered his voice, as the lyrics in "Free" advise: "Brother, if you hold on to what you got, it reminds you of who you are, you're free. When you let go of what you're not, and remind
the world of what you got, you're free." Strong words, and Ridin' is a strong work in every sense of the word. Powerful stuff.
Alex Boldin, "TIMEout," 2022
TIMEout, the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign released in cooperation with TIMEZONE Records, is the debut album of Alex Boldin, an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist based in Erlangen, Germany.
Boldin's extensive training led to many diverse musical endeavors, including a decade-long tenure with metal band Crashing Crew, but both time and circumstance ultimately opened the young musician's ears to
the work of guitarists Andy McKee and Tommy Emmanuel. Inspired by both performers, and through intense study and participation in numerous fingerstyle workshops, Boldin found a musical family and supportive
community that gave him the confidence to write, record, and release this album. Each song on TIMEout has its own theme and its own tuning, occasionally utilizing both full and partial capoing, and several
compositions employ an impressive array of percussive elements and techniques. Although the harmonic language throughout the program is stylishly modern and accessible, there is a Baroque-like affect at work
in Boldin's choice of tunings, and the subsequent keys they designate, that portray very particular moods and sentiments, in addition to a variety of inspirations drawn from nature. Boldin thankfully lists
the tunings and capoing for each track, which is an invaluable aid to guitarists who may wish to either recreate the affects to their own end, or simply permit them to enhance the appreciation of the pictures
Boldin is attempting to paint with these sonorities. The impact and force of waves is wonderfully depicted on the opening track "Rising Tide." Further into the program, the sparkling introductory harmonics of
"Starry Sky" slowly build as additional stars become visible to the naked eye, while the elegance of "Lullaby" earns its keep as a stand-out track due to its thoughtful simplicity, and a programmatic
invitation to write an old-school letter (no email or SMS) to a loved one by the light of a flickering candle. And then there is "The One," the album's antepenultimate piece, in which a recitative-like
unison introduction ably yields to a motive, and subsequent groove, that is affectionately dedicated to music itself. There is an optimistic and openly honest ebullience catching Boldin unabashedly wearing
his heart on his sleeve throughout TIMEout, empowering the listener to be the richer for it.
©
Kirk Albrecht
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "What's in a Name"
Listen to Jamie Stillway at our podcast 
©
Céline Keating
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "House Carpenter"
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Dust to Dust"
©
James Filkins
Buy it at CandyRat Records
Listen to "Cliffs of Edinburgh"
©
Mark Sullivan
Buy it at Bandcamp
Listen to "Zarabeth"
Listen to Jo Jena at our podcast
©
Fred Kraus
Buy it at Amazon.com
Listen to "The Ballad of John Howard Griffin"
©
David Pedrick
Buy it at Timezone Records
Listen to "Up in the Hills"
