Here are three different guitarists with as many diverse approaches to modern fret sounds.
Thom Douvan does us the service of including a picture of each guitar for the specified songs. He’s with a core team of Jimmy Earl/b, Mithcchel Forman/key and Michael Barsimanto/dr along with various guests on percussion, guitars and woodwinds. The most straight-ahead includes a hot bass lick by Earl on “Wes Coasting” while Forman’s B3 delivers a soulful setting for “When Things Fall Apart. Some vocals by Rob McDonald on “Believe In You” and by the wispy Lynne Fiddmont on “Then I Met You” keep things fresh, while Mads Tolling’s violin delivers a folksy mood on “Rhonda.” Clean and polished like the grill of a 61 Caddy.
The back cover of the album by Michael Blum/g-voc and Jim Stinnett/b bodes well, as it has the look of a vintage Blue Note sleeve. The duo doesn’t disappoint as along with Brad Smith/p and Fred Haas/sax the bop with the best on the rapid fire “Mr. PC” and quicksilver “Kim.” Stinnett’s alto works well on Blum’s samba “Houston” while the bass and string do some nifty lines together on “Dark Snow.” Blum also sings a bit on the lazy “ Pick Yourself Up” and charming “Like Someone In Love.” Blum’s guitar work is rich and tensile; he can bend the notes or deliver the AK 47 approach. Vintage sounds.
Scott Henderson leads a power trio with Travis Carlton/b and Alan Hertz/dr that focuses on the pedals and knobs on Henderson’s axe. Heavy hitting is felt on “Church of Xotic Dance” and the metallic “Sphinx.” Carlton and Hertz deliver a thunderous back beat on “Manic Carpet” and go boogie with the woogie on “Dew Wut?”. Henderson shows his gentler side on the tasty ballad “Calhoun” and the album closes with a tremendously moody read of Duke Ellington’s “Chelsea Bridge.” A whole album similar to the last tune would be a barn burner.