The Blue Rider Trio
Early Morning Blues - The Complete Blue Rider Trio Sessions
Mapleshade
Rating: 4
Sound: 4.5
This album sounds too good. The full spectrum of pain and catharsis found in the blues should be accompanied by the hiss of a dirty record, the roar of the subway, crickets on the back porch or anything. What this reissue has is a pristine sound that melds Ben Andrews' gravelly vocals and cutting guitar together with Jeff Sarli's driving slap bass and Mark Wenner's face-puckering harmonica into a blues symphony. The combination of '92's Preachin the Blues and '00's Harp, Steel and Guts was released as a memorial to the late Sarli. The sound is reverential to classic blues styles, with top-class musicianship and some modern kicks. But no crickets to be found.
Frank Turner
Campfire Punkrock
Welcome Home Records
Rating: 3.5
Sound: 2.5
Jumbo shrimp. Deafening silence. And now, punk folk. It's not an oxymoron; it's a guy with a guitar. Frank Turner's music on Campfire Punkrock is folksy, mellow and melodic. The fascinating vocals are angry, talky and meandering. Double the speed and they'd be at home in a classic punk recording. The contrast between Turner's punk attitude and folk backdrop are reminiscent of bands like The Smiths who've thrived on that sort of self-contradiction. The recording quality is competent, though not particularly full of impact. The focus is rightly on Turner's hard-core vocal delivery and melodic guitar strumming.
Cunninlynguists
Dirty Acres
APOS Music
Rating: 4
Sound: 2.5
No one over the age of 12 can say their name with a straight face, but the CunninLynguists are dead serious about Dirty Acres, their fourth studio release. If you want laid-back grooves and Southern-fried flavor without having to listen to the two-note baseline pap that's become popular, the 'Lynguists style is for you. Kno's production is eclectic and intricate, with samples ranging from psych-rock guitar to electric harpsichord. Deacon and Natti's rhymes are a tight, mid-paced set with an activist bent. The recording quality doesn't break the flow, but it's midrange-heavy with low overall frequency range. Soundstage is a plus and, as you might expect, the bass thumps. For a subwoofer workout, check out "Gun."
Victor Wooten
Palmystery
Rating: 3.5
Sound: 4
Victor Wooten's godlike bass is just one prong of the focus of Palmystery, which is a complex rhythm. The opening track, "2 Timers," switches between a drummer playing in 3/4 time to one playing in 4/4. "Left, Right & Center" ups that with three different drummers. Though a couple of the poppier numbers miss the mark, the wide-ranging album flows nicely. The sound is lush, with fine overall detail. Wooten's flights of fancy are a perfect way to test how well-integrated your sub is to the rest of your system, as he hits every note that exists on a bass in rapid succession.