Of Note: CD Reviews

When I was handed the bootleg tonic CD to review, I'll admit, I suffered from prejudgment discrimination against it. On the album cover a black-and-white photo showcases two faces inviting me to listen to their music. The guy, Eran Taviv, had an inviting smirk in contrast to the toughness of a guy with a shaved head, while the girl, Georgiana Trent, strikes a serious pose of sexuality. I expected the album to be an overwrought testosterone driven faux rock band. I cautiously placed the CD into my player and braced myself.

I promise never to discriminate and prejudge an album based upon the name of the band and the album cover again. bootleg tonic shoved the adage, "Never judge a book by its cover" straight down my throat.

Volume I begins with Trent's throaty singing on the track "When It All Goes Down" and it immediately hooked me in. All you hear is the power of Trent's voice with flutterings of an acoustic guitar in the background. In less than a minute track 1 ends and the album intimately introduces listeners to Trent's storytelling through a strong, melodic, and personally engaging voice. Trent's voice gives life to lyrics reflecting on relationships, heartbreak, good-time love, and hard times, which are all ideal elements of a good ol' fashion country album. But, bootleg tonic expands the genre with a mix of country bluesy rock.

Eran Taviv provides texture to the songs with his acoustic and electric guitar playing. I found myself playing "Scars" on repeat and appreciating Taviv's subtle acoustic guitar, which adds power to the low-key track. Some may consider Trent the main act and Taviv as background music. But, if you really listen to the tracks you realize that Taviv may actually be the wizard behind the curtain. His musical support enhances Trent's voice and story-telling on "Hard Times" and "Love You More." Surprisingly, Taviv hails from Israel but plays guitar with a Southern American boy's heart, and bootleg tonic's home base is New York City, rather than Memphis. Not surprising is Trent's bluesy country voice hails from the great state of Texas (I'm partial, being a native Texan and surrounded by classic country, none of that Nashville pop stuff, and southern blues). 

bootleg tonic's tracks work best when stripped down to Trent's voice, Taviv's guitar, and the easy slow flow of music like a river of molasses. Trent's voice reminds me of Margo Timmins, Cowboy Junkies (especially The Trinity Sessions), through her voice's ability to draw in listeners. On "Please Baby," you just hear Trent's voice dripping with each word with the slow moving music flowing down the banks.

bootleg tonic's slim-downed bluesy rock with classic country reflections may not be to everyone's musical tastes. On their Myspace page, fans frequently comment this is not the type of music they typically enjoy but can't help but love Trent's voice, relate to the tracks, and appreciate the musicianship. bootleg tonic forced me never to prejudge and musically discriminate against another band based on name or album cover, again.

First things first: you gotta hear this! Google "edogband" to find the band's MySpace page and select "Roadie" or "Parsonstown" from the song player. Ready? A while back, someone alerted me to a singer/ songwriter with a swinging friar tattoo on his leg, who was fronting a band outside of Waukegan, Illinois. As my Padre Nation radar honed in closer, I was surprised and delighted to learn that the San Diego transplant was an old friend from little league and grade school – Jack Gimble – who is now on the block party and bar-band circuit north of Chicago. Jack is also a second-cousin of Johnny Gimble, the western swing fiddler who played with Bob Wills. After we traded some stories from the old block, Jack sent me the band's current CD. And, I was further intrigued by the ongoing references to the San Diego area. Songs like "El Cajon Blues," references to the desert, Chase Avenue and I-8, and sitting atop Mount Helix all impressed upon me that E-Dog is a band with one paw in Cubs territory but one in Padsville to be sure. What also impressed me was just how good Jack's songwriting had become. (Hopefully, you are well into "Roadie" by now or even on your way through "Parsonstown.")

Jack has put together a set of songs that is haunting and sensual, at the intersection of Neil Young-meets-Ryan Adams, melodic yet dark with lyrics that call the listener out to some strange, deserted place that is both frightening in its honesty yet emotionally complete.

E-Dog's other songwriter, Doug Walker, provides a palate that meets Jack in the middle, uniting a repertoire that traverses a gamut of late-Boomer and Gen X archetypes. However, Walker's songs are a bit more bright and poppy. Think REM-cum-Kenny Loggins. "Walking Slow" and "Around" hearken back to the days of shiny, happy dorm room beer busts, college rock, and alt/ indie everything. Whereas Jack's songs beckon the listener to some inner sanctuary, Doug's songs call everyone to the dance floor. What really binds the two writing styles, though, are the exquisite harmonies that this five-piece band provide throughout. It isn't often that a band strives for both rhythmic drive and vocal elegance. E-Dog delivers both.

Credit should also be given to lead guitarist Ed Wegener, who drops in a crafty assortment of riffs and fills that tie the album together while giving each song its own signature sound. Kudos should go to drummer Freddy Sarbekian and bassist Kirby Jednachowski for making each song rock and producer Bob Sheffield for capturing the band's dynamic sound. So, cover the fire hydrants with visquene. With at least five chart-quality songs, E-Dog is definitely ready to mark its territory.

Northern Californians Eva Scow and Dusty Brough have created an instrumental tour de force with their album Sharon by the Sea. With a heavy emphasis on jazz chords and voicings, this mostly acoustic recording is inventive and adventurous yet very accessible. The sophistication and cleverness of the songwriting are never allowed to supercede the music's listenability. Instead, they just make it damned interesting. Scow and Brough play a number of instruments, primarily mandolin, violin, guitar, and bass, but they know when to bring in other players for added flavoring. Percussion, keyboards, and strings are added to numerous songs with outstanding results. A great example of this is the uptempo "Theoretically Speaking," which is complemented by energetic percussion and a soaring violin solo. "Rodolfo" is a song that is similar in instrumentation if not in feel. It has a more Brazilian vibe and uses strings more as coloration.

The sound of the album is light and airy without being lightweight. Quite the contrary, it is very substantial in its unexpected musical twists and turns. Rhythms, chord progressions, melodies, textures, and timbres all collide and combine to create a varied listening experience that is at once familiar and groundbreaking. While it is difficult to select a "typical" track on this album – they're all quite distinct from one another – an atypical standout is a traditional song called "Pica Pica." It takes its name from a species of bird and paints a mental picture of it with its fluttering mandolin melody. On the surface it sounds like the simplest composition in terms of chords and melody but like all else here, there's a lot going on that is not immediately apparent.

The expansive and moody Sharon by the Sea ebbs and flows, just like the body of water in its title. This song in particular makes full use of bowed and plucked strings as well as a Fender Rhodes electric keyboard to augment the lead instruments to evoke imagery and mood. A delightfully agile violin solo is the highlight of the percussion-driven "Sketches of Terry." "Saturday," a light romp that ends the album, features electric keyboard and guitar alongside the acoustic instruments. It makes its exit with a jazzy jam firmly anchored by a nimble upright acoustic bassline amid the sounds of a party.

This recording is very organic and clean. Because the instrumentation is largely acoustic, it is important to capture its natural sound. Studio effects are kept to a minimum, allowing the instruments themselves to transmit their own tone. The players deliver a flawless performance and the songs are impeccably arranged, breathing with a rawness that sounds very much alive. This is an album that that gives the listener many rewards. I happily listened to it many times and will continue to do so.

There are people who go simply bonkers for acoustic guitar music and who will say, "hearing a guitar played beautifully can make me cry." God bless these folks and, if you know any people like this, you'd better tell them about Guitar Uncovered, the latest release from local acoustic guitar guru, Jim Earp. Earp has not only a local but also a national reputation as one of the foremost champions of the "finger-style" approach to guitar playing. The title of this CD is entirely appropriate because Earp seems to explore just about every sonic possibility available on his instrument (an absolutely amazing sounding 97' Martin SP000C-16TR, steel string). Like all virtuoso guitarists, Earp has such complete control over his axe that it all sounds effortless, allowing the beauty and soul of the music to truly shine.

I am not sure if this was a conscious decision on the part of the artist, but the tracks on this disc seem to be segmented into two categories – tunes that keep very true to the original melody and arrangement and others that take a looser approach and Earp takes more liberties. Both approaches work well and the latter is employed on the opener, "Eleanor Rigby." Earp employs all kinds of complementary counter-melodies plus jazzy passing/transitional chords that result in a stunningly fresh rendition of this Beatles classic. Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" stays very close to the chart, which works very nicely because there is so much happening, harmonically, that trying to embellish would be pointless and distracting. This is not a tune I would have expected to find on a finger-style, solo acoustic guitar recording, but this track stands out as a superior example of Earp's craftsmanship, as evidenced by the amazingly dead-on rhythmic flow and silky smooth, confident phrasing. Getting back to the idea of a guitar making someone cry, you'd better grab your handkerchiefs for "The Water Is Wide." This lovely ballad is played with such exquisite grace and sensitivity that you will feel every note. I loved how, toward the end of the tune, Earp shows the patience of a master by resting just long enough to let the song breathe, like a great conversationalist who knows when to be quiet for a moment. "The Water Is Wide" contains some of the most beautiful guitar playing I have heard anywhere and this track alone makes this CD worth checking out. The presence of popular stand-bys like "Gold Dust Woman" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" add to the feeling you'll get on this disc that you've been brought into a very warm, familiar place. "You've Got a Friend" is the closing track and Earp brings in another finger-style wizard, Tom Boyer, on this one to end with the only non-solo number. This closer sounds great, but Earp and Boyer play parts very close in register to each other, creating the effect of a four-handed guitar player on one guitar. I would have liked to have heard more divergent parts played on this last track (the result here is like pouring chocolate sauce on chocolate cake…, which can have its upside, I suppose!), but it's still great stuff. 

As fans of this genre sort through the plethora of finger-style acoustic guitarists on the scene, Jim Earp surely must be placed towards the very top of the list of artists that merit attention and this recording gives us Earp at the top of his game.

I've reviewed other disks by Steve White; throughout I've emphasized the hellacious power of his funk and blues playing. Those ingredients remain on his new disk, After the Holidays, especially on the raucous and raw "Blues Time." Overall, however, this new release is more mellow and reflective than some of White's recent releases. His previous studio recording, Brand New World, glorified movement and the liberation of travel, but After the Holidays has a much stronger sense of place, of home, and staying put. It's as though White has hit the highway, been around a bit, and now wants to spend some time with his feet up sitting in a comfy chair.

And just like Brand New World, White has given up on the added instrumentation that often detracted from the quality of his earlier recordings. This is barebones, one-take-in-the-studio Steve White, the way it should be. The one exception is "One of These Days," a lilting promise of better times, in which Victoria Stevens sweetens the chorus with backup vocals.

White has often mined his previous releases, rerecording his earlier tunes. At least four numbers on this disk are reworkings of his earlier material. The quality of the earlier recordings was often poor. Also, while White has always been a very good musician, his playing has improved immensely over the past few years, most notably the advances that he's made with the percussion that he plays with his feet. It's good to hear the better treatment that these gems now receive.

White reprises "Back at the Bottom," using a grab bag of everyday catchphrases to give a wry look at the human condition. Earlier versions emphasized this song's humor, while White's teletype delivery of this version gives more of the sense of the frustrations of finding oneself low man on the totem pole once again.

Fire is often used as a metaphor to describe the wild uncontrolled passions of physical love, yet the crackle, embers, and warm glow from a fireplace also warm and comfort. This is the fire that White sings of in "Love Is a Fire" in perhaps his sweetest delivery of the disk. And "Faial" offers a wistful Iberian paean to one of the Azores left untrammeled by modern times and too many tourists.

There are 31,247 Christmas songs, celebrating everything from the birth of Jesus to the demise of grandma under the heels of reckless reindeers. But how many songs are there for the days that follow? White's song "After the Holidays" describes the ennui that we all feel when the thrill of gifts and family subsides to the denouement of taking down a dried out Christmas tree. And from a voice that knows the optimism of a new calendar is not always warranted, a sense of ambivalence is heard in the song's refrain "New Year's is moving on,"

But what is this? White closes with a Christmas song! Post holidays can be a bummer, but even still, isn't Christmas what it's all about? One of the best things about White's songwriting is his ability to lightly sketch an outline, suggesting a scene or situation and letting the listener to fill in the details. White uses this technique on "Christmas Eve," bringing up all those sensations and memories that make Christmas special.