Carrie Rodriquez
Live in Louisville
(Luz Music)
Some celebs put on cowboy boots because they're working on their image. When Carrie Rodriguez slips them on, it's because she's ready to kick serious musical butt. Born in Brooklyn but sounding for all the world like she was sired in Austin, Rodriguez lights up Louisville on her latest record. Armed with a killer fiddle and a mandobird, a solid body mandolin that sounds like a high-toned electric guitar, she also has the instrumental chops to back a glorious voice that eats little girls for lunch.
Ringing, bell-like tones give songs like "Dirty Leather" a dreamy, trippy feel like Richard Thompson from his Fairport Convention days. Then there are bluesy, sassy Texgrass numbers like "I Don't Want to Play House Anymore," and achingly lovely songs like "St. Peter's." This is a seriously good CD. —Rob Weir
Various Artists
Selmer #607 Invite Stochelo Rosenberg
(Cristal Records/Harmonia Mundi)
Northampton annually hosts Django in June, which includes concerts by international players. One of the most astonishing was Adrien Moignard. His playing is, like the best Gypsy jazz, technically dazzling and lightning-fast but full of soul and swagger. But competition is stiff, as you'll hear on this album, the second gathering of France's finest young Gypsy-style guitarists. Each uses Selmer guitar #607, an instrument much like the Selmer famously played by Django Reinhardt. This second volume feels more adventurous—several players bring the punchy/mellow tone of the Selmer acoustic into non-traditional grooves well away from the train-like standard rhythm called "la pompe." The featured guest is Stochelo Rosenberg, a giant of the genre. If this must-have album is an indication, Gypsy jazz is heading into more modern territory, still fueled by its often intense energy. A deluxe version of the album with extra tracks and video is available at djangostation.com. —James Heflin
Laura Veirs
July Flame
(Raven Marching Band)
The strongest point of Laura Veir's musical talent is her ability to transport the listener into her chimerical visions. The best songs on July Flame, "Silo Song," "I Can See Your Tracks," and the title track, are simple, honest gems that feature crescendoing melodies, earnest banjo picking and resonant harmonies.
As on other Veir records, there are a few tracks that seem unable to reach their full potential—"When You Give Your Heart" hides Veir's usual fantastical lyrics beneath a white bread romantic melody. But, despite the few weak tracks on "July Flame," the record is an uplifting listen. July Flame was released on Veirs' newly established Raven Marching Band Records. —Jillian Fink
