One of the most interesting folk/blues guitarists around
Nobody important | 06/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are plenty of fingerpickers with seemingly superhuman dexterity, but most of them are not very interesting. John Hasbrouck is a highly skilled guitarist, but what sets him apart from the crowd is the fact that his playing sounds at once familiar and completely distinctive. He alternates between instrumental and vocal numbers, and his voice is, shall we say, nothing special, but his picking style and sense of composition are quite impressive. Hasbrouck's base is in blues, but these are not the blues of Robert Johnson, Son House, nor even Mississippi John Hurt. These are the blues of John Fahey. Hasbrouck takes much of his inspiration from Fahey's "American Primative" school of solo steel-string acoustic instrumentals. His playing is also occasionally reminiscent of Kelly Joe Phelps from his Roll Away The Stone/Shine Eyed Mister Zen period. Hasbrouck's playing isn't as flashy, and he is more prone to sliding over a larger range of notes, but there is a similar sentiment. Occasionally, he dips into some slightly eastern sounding riffs, kind of like Harry Manx. Generally, though, his off-kilter sensibilities bring to mind Rainer Ptacek. However, Hasbrouck has a much more clean style than Ptacek. The basic point you may be noticing is that I have to use a lot of different points of reference to describe Hasbrouck's style. Yet, somehow, putting all of these elements together creates a cohesive whole that feels strangely familiar, and just right. If you are a fan of John Fahey, Kelly Joe Phelps, Harry Manx and Rainer Ptacek, but both this and his previous album, Ice Cream with confidence."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1