…with a banjo on my knee…
Otis Taylor: My World Is Gone
I guess on paper, you’d call Otis Taylor a “bluesman,” but on this album, that’s just a starting point for some uniquely genre-crossing music. With a band that features such far-reaching guests as jazz trumpeter Ron Miles, the sound is at times catchy, others mournful, others fully introspective. The album is largely a collaboration with Indigenous guitarist Mato Nanji and centers on the lives and plight of Native Americans. This is blues for the 21st century, looking forward and backward and putting the listener in an ear-crossing trance. I love the tracks like Huckleberry Blues where Taylor’s banjo and voice play perfect counterpoint to Miles’ dreamy trumpet, but there’s plenty to love on this one throughout.
Spotify: Otis Taylor – My World Is Gone
MOG: https://mog.com/m#album/80140789
Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/otis-taylor/album/my-world-is-gone
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B7H9F3I
Sam Amidon: Bright Sunny South
Sometimes the line between pure simplicity and deep complexity is a thin one. On Bright Sunny South, Sam Amidon plays a seemingly simple folk music characterized, like so much other folk music, largely by his voice and guitar. But there are wonderful additions throughout: banjo and fiddles and horns and beyond, perfectly off-beat cover choices (Mariah Carey, anyone?), a unique songwriting depth, and some of that special, can’t-describe-it magic that make this one of those albums that you’re going to love to love. I know I do.
Spotify: Sam Amidon – Bright Sunny South
MOG: https://mog.com/m#album/83678349
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CKQ2BG8
Glenn Jones: My Garden State
Longtime fans of the RecommNeds will know I’m a sucker for instrumental music done right. Well, Glenn Jones does it right and this album – largely solo banjo or guitar pieces – is downright perfect in the beautiful, thoughtful, self-encapsulated world it creates. Sure you can delve into Jones’ past musical history or the circumstances in which this album was conceived or the technical details about the tunings on each song, etc., etc. Or you can just put it on and relax, basking in its perfection. Enjoy!
Spotify: Glenn Jones – My Garden State
MOG: https://mog.com/m#album/84122321
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CSBIEU2
