Arlen Roth "Drive it Home", Solid Air Records SACD 2022, 2001
Presented as a tribute to the loss of his wife and first daughter, Arlen
Roth's latest acoustic conception, "Drive it Home", offers his listener a
spectacular mixture of classic rock standards, traditional rhythm and
blues, and slide guitar. Roth's own legacy spans from touring with such
masters as Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Ry Cooder to the
publication of several highly reputable books on guitar technique,
phrasing, and chord building. Listeners will especially enjoy how
Roth's fresh playing style artfully exploits the treble and upper highs
while allowing the deep, bold base notes to come forth as well. The
focus here is not to show off how fast Roth can move his fingers,
instead he wants to prioritize the melodic structure of each tune,
allowing the songs to stand on their own. But most importantly is how
the relaxed, very personal dimension of this work never once interferes
with Roth's explosive energy and signature sound. Nearly half of the
eleven tracks are upwards of four minutes in length, and with the
exception of Roth's excellent version of Davey Graham's "Anji" and a
very remarkable version of Clapton's "Layla", all of the compositions
are of Roth's own making.
©Bernard Richter
JL Stiles "Solo Sessions", Shoeless Records SS1135, 2000
He may be a white, Jewish singer-songwriter raised in Connecticut who only started
playing guitar at age 18, but as a self-confessed "diligent son of a bitch", J. L.
Stiles spent the next fourteen years (five in New Orleans) mastering the acoustic
fingerpicking folk/blues styles of Mississippi John Hurt, Bob Dylan and others.
While his first CD "Sanctuary" presented him in a band context, "Solo Sessions" is
exactly what it states: Stiles accompanying himself on 6 and 12-string guitar and
harmonica on eleven of his compositions and one by Mississippi John Hurt ("Trouble
I Had All My Days"). Stiles is more than another accomplished folk/blues fingerpicker
with a pleasing voice and harmonica rack around his neck. "Fall by the Wayside" and
"Slow Rider" each demonstrate his capabilities on more complex, Leo Kottke-ish guitar
work, while "Renewal Song" and "Never To Grow Old" are standout compositions.
©Patrick Grant
Kathy Compton "Recovering Humans", Frosty Orange Records, 2001
Kathy Compton's vocals on her debut CD "Recovering Humans" carry the same pleasant
seductive embrace as Madonna's, especially on the throaty tune "Wanted". But where
Madonna is an exorbitantly paid technician hired only to step up to a microphone for
the corporate dole, Compton is a complete package. She can wield an acoustic guitar
very respectably and more importantly, has the innate creative songwriting talents which,
in a just world, should propel her to a fame equal to Madonna. "Recovering Humans" is a
well-done blend of alt-rock and radio pop which soars with fun, sensuality and emotion.
©Alan Fark
Jeff Elstad "Cedar Moon", Wildwood Music 2002
Cedar Mood, Jeff Elstad's first release to date, contains an impressive
display of the artist's own compositions, whose style borrows from a
wealth of different folk and jazz traditions. Governed by Elstad's solo
acoustic guitar playing, many of the selections revolve around a very
soft aesthetic, due in part to the slow tempos that most of Elstad's
compositions employ. The high quality of sound fidelity mixed with the
more lively tunes, such as "going out", which features Doug Kuehn on
Soprano Sax and Gary Petersen on Congas, helps in making the overall
work smooth and well-balanced. Most fascinating for me was the way in
which many of the tunes begin with a light, open sound but then subtly
transform into something a bit darker, allowing a more complicated feel
to emerge. Elstad's performance on a 1996 Larrivee is very precise, he
takes great pains to articulate every nuance; thus an important aspect
of Cedar Moon is getting lost in the playing itself, letting the
rhythms, the purity of the guitar, and Elstad's crisp playing overtake
the listener.
©Bernard Richter
Bill Mize "Joyful Noise", Moon Pie in the Sky Music MPS004, 2002
It takes an imaginative player to turn Robert Knight's soul classic "Everlasting Love"
and The James Gang's "Funk 49" into great fingerpickin' tunes... and who better than a
Winfield Competition Champion? Bill Mize uses some interesting accompanists on "Joyful
Noise", including Beth Bramhall, who adds her accordion to Mize's guitar on his original
"To a Friend". This tune and another original, "The Last Dance", capture the same slow,
ethereal groove that Mark Knopfler has been known to find on an acoustic guitar.
©Alan Fark
Roberto Menabo "Il Profumo del Vinile", Blue 021, 2001
In our mind's jukebox, each of us has access to the soundtrack that carried us through our
formative years. For Roberto Menabo, who hails from Bologna, Italy, his formative
collection is "Il Profumo Del Vinile," translated as "The Vinyl's Perfume." Curiously,
Menabo's chief muse turns out to be Delta-style blues, which he performs with a heartfelt
sincerity. While his fingerpicking sounds a bit more studied than inspired and his Italian
accent rather incongruous, there's no mistaking his love for this music. Menabo's
relationship with these songs was cultivated through the vinyl records he played on his
turntable -- and he takes us on a journey back into those heady days. He whirls us through
somewhat eccentric arrangements of "St. James Infirmary," "Mean Old Frisco,"
"Farrell Blues," "Trouble in Mind," and even "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Menabo sounds
more comfortable with his own compositions, of which he offers nine. While nothing
remarkable emerges, the combination of backgrounds, influences, and, really, just the pure
unlikeliness of it all will intrigue those up for a gentle musical adventure.
©
Fred Kraus
Peter Neri "Dreaming of Home", New Guitar Music 0949, 2002
In another lifetime, Peter Neri played guitar for a rock band in the 1970s and performed
with acts such as The Lovin' Spoonful, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and Iron Butterfly.
In recent years he has turned his focus on classical and acoustic steel string guitar,
receiving airplay on NPR from his first CD "Night Visions". His new CD "Dreams of Home"
is a concept album, exploring the course of raising children from birth to adulthood.
Largely working from open and altered tunings (only three of thirteen cuts are in standard
tuning), Neri creates musical impressions of the stages of life. "Land of the Awakening"
opens the album beautifully, capturing the experience of birth into consciousness.
Subsequent tracks depict various stages of development such as a first kiss ("Day After
the First Kiss"), driving ("Pizza Delivery"), heartbreak ("Blue Night"). Neri is perhaps
at his best on slower, moving emotional tunes like "Dreaming of Home", "The Long Goodbye"
and "Leaving the Nest". Neri is an excellent guitarist and this well recorded CD shows his
talents to full advantage.
©Patrick Grant