Michael Jerling
Crooked Path
(Fool’s Hill)
Michael Jerling is one of those road-traveled musicians who’s been around so long we sometimes forget how good he is. Crooked Path is how Jerling thinks most of us experience life and he has little time for self-proclaimed prophets. On “40 Days and Nights of Rain” he resigns from a human race in which “my God is bigger than your God” and retreats to a private ark with someone whose “heart’s bigger than my heart.” Later, in “Preaching to the Choir,” he lampoons those who do so, including presidents who wave the flag but are “just heat, no light.” Jerling’s taut offerings run the gamut from acoustic country and folk rock to the plaintive Appalachian-style “Cold River.” Each track reminds us why we should deviate from the crooked path and make a beeline for the music shop. —Rob Weir
Bigelf
Hex
(Custard)
You get a rush of major-league influences and arena-rock antecedents in the first few seconds of Hex: monumental Sabbathy riffs, stinking of weed, then dystopian Pink Floyd territory, and off to over-the-top Queen-style quasi-operatic harmonies. If you like your stoner metal to tip the hat blatantly to the greats, or if you like your classic rock with a hint of metal and a dash of prog, then you’ll appreciate Bigelf’s broad sense of tradition. But for some, the Floyd and Sabbath homages will cross into outright theft. This record was recorded in 2003 (available for the first time on CD here), and there are a few unfortunate Marilyn Manson-ish moments. But for fans who long for music that harkens back to classic rock, Bigelf delivers the slightly ridiculous and grandiose product. —John Adamian
Gov’t Mule
Mighty High
(ATO Records/Red)
The combination of white musicians and reggae is equivalent to that of peanut butter and olives. Yes, sometimes after smoking a big doobie, they feel like they can actually dance to those funky island beats, but the simple truth is that peanut butter and olives have no place on the same sandwich. Gov’t Mule’s new album Mighty High does have its moments; Toots Hibbert appears on the blues standard “Hard to Handle” and the dub-inspired version of The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.” Warren Haynes is one of the hardest working guitarists around and gives his best on the album, but when the original versions of the songs still sound better after listening to the new interpretations, it’s hard to understand why this was necessary. Put down the spliff, Warren. —Levon Kinney
Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss
Raising Sand
(Rounder)
It’s time to face a surprising truth about the former Led Zep frontman: Robert Plant is still making very good, wide-ranging and interesting music, fusing his interests in British folk, blues and West African traditions. Now the former Golden God has teamed up with sweet-voiced singer and fiddler Alison Krauss on a satisfying, if slightly uneven, album of pleasingly semi-obscure covers produced by T Bone Burnett. The disc has a slow and slinky slap-bass-flecked Tom Waits-sound (Waits guitar wiz Marc Ribot adds impressive tremolo-heavy atmosphere). When Krauss and Plant harmonize, their voices blend beautifully. At times Krauss’s flute-like voice is almost too pure, but Burnett stirs up enough grit to offset any excessive prettiness. —John Adamian
