CD REVIEWS
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Trampled By Turtles
“Palomino”
Independent release
Trampled By Turtles have somewhat made a name for themselves in the bluegrass sub-genre known as “newgrass” with the release of four independent albums capturing their bluegrass-based, acoustic jams. Their fifth album, “Palomino,” marks the band’s first effort for Thirty Tigers/RED and with it the promise of improving their grassroots success. With that said, “Palomino” doesn’t strike me as an album that would ignite their career. For starters, its overall tempo consistently plods along like, um, a turtle. Fans might point to the one fairly fast song (by comparison) “It’s A War,” but it wouldn’t break a sweat in the hands of Bill Monroe or Flatt & Scruggs. Furthermore, Dave Simonett’s vocals — save those on the Depression-era “Gasoline” and the Fogerty-esque “New Orleans” — are mired by a lack of pitch and emotion. CV
(Trampled By Turtles play Thursday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m. at DG’s Taphouse in Ames. $10. They also play People’s Court on March 28, $10.)
Charlie Hunter
“Gentlemen…”
Spire Artist Media
With regards to the immense talents of seven-string jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, his music isn’t for everybody. But if I had to pick one album from Hunter’s impressive discography to loan to a non-jazz friend in hopes of turning them on to his music, his latest, “Gentlemen, I Have Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid,” is it. For starters, “Gentlemen…” is perhaps Hunter’s most accessible to your average listener, though that certainly doesn’t imply that there isn’t enough to keep hardcore jazz fans intrigued. In short, the grooves are a little more rhythmically understated than those on previous albums, as are the complex chord changes. Check out the soul groove on “You Look Good in Orange” and the Lonnie Mack-like-attack on the title track. Incidentally, “Gentlemen…” is the front-runner for best album title of the year. CV
(Charlie Hunter performs Sunday, Feb. 28 at 10 p.m. at the Vaudeville Mews. $20.)
