From the Reach
SONNY LANDRETH
(Landfall)
Blues aficionados and New Orleans Jazz Fest regulars have long revered slide guitarist Sonny Landreth. And for good reason. His ability to coerce fat, rich tones with his plastic "bottleneck" (worn on his left pinky) while also fingering the fretboard like a speed freak with the open four digits of his left hand is unmatched. He emits additional sonic flourishes with his right hand, implementing advanced fingerpicking techniques rooted in the works of legends like Mississippi John Hurt.
In short, Landreth is that rare technical whiz also capable of delivering emotive beauty à la Robert Johnson, Skip James and more modern players like Duane Allman. But it's more than just Landreth's guitar playing that makes From the Reach so consistently rewarding. His latest disc plays like a classic blues-rock outing of the highest order (think Duane Allman if he'd lived to make the brilliant solo album he surely had in him).
From the Reach is the finest effort of Landreth's 16-year career as a frontman.
As a songwriter, he reaches new highs here, melding straightforward — but rarely pedestrian — lyrics with memorable melodies that typically stretch far beyond the blues tradition. And Landreth's reedy voice might not exhibit great range, but it's an expressive and effective instrument.
Adding name recognition are guests Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Vince Gill, Dr. John, Eric Johnson, Mark Knopfler and Nadirah Shakoor. But don't worry — this isn't a lame attempt at pulling a Supernatural. Landreth wrote every number, produced the sessions and self-released the album on his own Landfall label. The big names are dropped in gratis to add background vocals (Buffett's barely audible) and some choice picking, as is the case with repeat Landreth collaborator Knopfler, who sweetens the poignant, juke-joint rocker "Blue Tarp Blues," a reference to the tarps that covered the homes devastated by Katrina and its preventable aftermath.
"Air Force One had a heck of a view," Landreth sings, his voice thick with pain. The sweeping "Blue Angel" benefits from subtle ax work by Ford and Gill's gorgeous voice. On "The Milky Way Home," Landreth, with help from Eric Johnson, takes the listener from the Bayou backwoods to the heavens on a prog-blues instrumental that shimmers majestically like a distant supernova.
Diverse, warm and innovative, From the Reach is a genuine masterstroke. 4.5 stars —Wade Tatangelo
Hello…x
TRISTAN PRETTYMAN
(Virgin)
On her thoroughly lovely sophomore outing, SoCal singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman strums a breezy set of summer-ready tunes. Tracks like "Blindfold" and "A Little Bit" showcase the surfer girl's husky vocals and blues-tinged pop, while the title track, the gentle funk of "Echo" and first single, "Madly," are all catchy handclaps and melody. There's a soulful weariness to Prettyman's beachside manner that sets her apart from the current lot of acoustic crooners: "California Girl," with its weepy pedal-steel, turns its title upside down, and album closer "In Bloom" could be an outtake from Fiona Apple's "Tidal" sessions, a simple string and piano torch number in which she mourns, "My dear, you're just a little bit too late." At least until the next wave rolls along. 3.5 stars —Amanda Schurr
You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH?
(Almost Gold )
Recent SXSW darlings Does It Offend You, Yeah? live up to the hype with their debut disc, an infectious stew of indie dance-rock that owes as much to Devo as to Daft Punk. From opening track "Battle Royale" to "Epic Last Song," the British quartet assaults the ears with early-'80s beats, heavily processed vocals and general electronic mayhem. "Let's Make Out" is a club-ready booty call, while "Being Bad Feels Pretty Good" and "Weird Science," with their titular Me Era shout-outs, buck the cerebral stylings of their retro contemporaries for straight-up, nonstop fun. See also "Attack of the 60 Ft. Lesbian Octopus," a frenzied horror-movie/surf-rock instrumental that collapses just short of the two-minute mark. Could be the party record of the year. 4 stars —AS
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2008.