James Reams/The Blackest Crow Redbird Music  MRM 001
The Blackest Crow, James Reams' follow-up to his powerful debut album, Kentucky Songbird, is a strong, 
heartfelt expression in the old timey/bluegrass genre. Every track resonates with authenticity. James has a vocal 
style that harkens back to the Grand Old Opry and at times reminds me of some old favorites like Marty Robbins, 
Hank Snow and Faron Young. The natural catch in his throat as he sings conjures up a vision of tooling down a 
country highway through the bible belt and tuning into a country station. There are places on this recording where 
our imaginary '40's sedan has turned off the highway and is headed down an unpaved narrow lane with a cloud of
dust trailing behind.  Some of these moments include the instrumentals "Broken Down Gambler," "You've got to Shovel," "
Oh My Little Darling/Did You ever See the Devil," and the vocal-included "Blues for Louisiana" which is an enormously 
satisfying romp. The upright bass slaps, the dobro slides, and as the blistering guitar and mandolin solos kick in, cousin 
Jethro sitting in the back seat has his head hit the roof as we charge over a big bump. 
There are sad ballads where James sounds as lonesome as Hank Williams ever did. His head seems to be thrown back 
and there's nothing held in check. He showcases his strong voice and his command of country gospel, singing a capella, 
in a too-short unmarked track after "Just a Song of Old Kentucky." The refrain is a passionate last goodbye 
 "…and then I'm goin' home…"    More of this next time, James!
On all of the tracks, save the last, the vocals are supported with nimble riffs, predominately fiddle and banjo, abetted by 
bluegrass guitar, dobro and mandolin by a variety of brilliant players. To complement James' authoritative, smooth, Kentucky-bred singing 
is a line-up of area musicians that makes one's eyes pop. Among them are: John Herald, Kenny Kosek, Bill Christophersen, Danny Kalb, 
David Hamburger, and Orrin Star. Providing some tight background vocal harmony are Bev Grant and David Roche. 
If you like the sound of down-home music and want to get transported  to another place and time, this CD will get stuck in your player 
for a while. 
To buy the CD, go to amazon.com, countysales.com, or cdnow.com
For bookings, call (718) 788-2048 or e-mail James at: jreams@gateway.net

Jack Hardy/Omens Prime CD  PCD69
Jack Hardy, founder of The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, godfather of the modern singer/songwriter movement, for some performances, 
wears a sorcerer's hat. This might be to punctuate the thought that there is magic afoot in the words he weaves. If his previous eleven 
albums haven't convinced the listener yet, this one should.  
He has put together another set of songs in his already bursting cache of literate recordings. And as usual, the master's peerless wry wit 
is dealt with such frequency that it's a good idea to keep the lyrics in front of you for full appreciation. 
"I Ought to Know" is a trip taken through modern history by the flickering of the TV's  "illumined light / laugh-tracks, soundbites 
/ and a replay to get it right"  The sharpened pen skewers us all as it prods us to  know more than "what the Buffalo Bills do…more than 
the quarterback's wounded knee…"  To find out "…what happened at Sand Creek… " Alas, speaking for the mutitudes, he intones, "…
this I ought to know / but I don't." 
Songs of love's loss are in abundance here. In "I Can't Love You," the poet's word-play is in full bloom. He "can't find the shutter to freeze 
the feeling / bright in vermilion, that maple-leaf day/ stammer and stutter, vagrant and reeling / the one-in-a-million that came to stay."
I doubt if anyone else lends an air of Celtic mysticism to romantic dissolution the way Jack does.  In "Eclipse," The harshness of the world's 
wheeling and dealing destroys love's bond: "The last time the moon was full/ it showed its darker side…the mundane had the magic annulled 
/ making vinegar out of wine," and the peddler comes to the fair "with his box of golden baubles / and pencil stubs as proof…to retrieve his 
green-eyed daughter." who had followed her lover there. It ends as, "I watched his green-eyed daughter / as he placed her in his cart / parading 
her as a princess / to eclipse her gypsy heart."
"Sile" (Shiela) is a lively celtic dance. It's the story of an older man who loves a young maiden and begs her to put on a "dark and flowered dress" 
he has found and washed. Jack uses his knowledge of Gaelic for the chorus "chiur si uirthi é (she put it on)." Though he entreats her to join him 
in the tryst, their fate, he warns, will be the same as travelers whose remains are marked by crosses at the side of the road.
In "Willow," Jack's supporting band-members weave a lovely tapestry. Kate McLeod's fiddle provides a sweet harmony with Michael Laureanno's 
bass and Tom Duval's stinging lead electric guitar runs. 
As with most of his CDs, though his love for Celtic music predominates, Jack displays a wide range of melody and rhythm from track to track. 
Listeners who appreciate lyrical depth and variety within classic melodic folk  forms will be richly rewarded.
To order the CD call 1-800-PRIME-CD or order on-line at www.primecd.com

Robert Messore/Gladys's Glasses Humphrey Street Records
Lodged somewhere between New Age and Folk, this self- produced CD is a precious possession. 
Robert  Messore is one hell of a crackerjack player. One respected guitarist  watching Robert, said in awe, 
how does he do that?  Having seen him live at Eureka Joe not too long ago, I eagerly accepted Robert's offer 
of a free CD. In an e-mail some time later, he asked, perhaps, just perhaps I might "pull it out from under 
that wobbly chair leg I was using it to support and review it?"  You bet, Robert.
These are some of my favorites:
Five of the 13 instrumentals on the CD generously have the tunings listed. Track one, "The Message," in DADGAD 
open tuning, makes good use of rapid fingerstyle technique and harmonics. Its rolling meter, elivened further with some 
changes in tempo, is relaxing and evocative of a ride through the countryside or a run through the woods.
Track three has an amusing title "Redeeming The Arugula"  (in EAC#F#BE tuning) and a sweet melody with arpeggios  
that have carefully placed harmonics at the  higher end.
"Kissing the Oblivious Baby" in DADGAD and capoed up two frets seems built on arpeggios a bit more than the others 
and it's fun to listen for the places where Robert's turnarounds are spun on a dime.
I love a good ragtime tune and "Sleepytime Rag" in standard tuning is no exception. It's gentle, sweeping arcs of melody 
make it seem effortless (Oh yeah? Well, try this at home).
In the twelfth track, "The Message" is reprised at a faster tempo and with good reason. It segues into and fuses with a 
beautiful Celtic jig called "Kiss Her Gladly."
An unlisted track (called "Kingdom of Sand" in the liner notes) begins after about 3-minutes of silence, but  the search 
button will get you there instantly. It's a stinging blues piece with  runs and bends beautifully placed amidst fluid strumming. 
This is the only vocal on the CD. Robert's high-pitched voice and emphatic style makes me think of a cross between Joe Walsh 
(of the bands The James Gang and The Eagles) and David Bromberg. 
Robert's fingerwork is astonishingly quick  and his fretwork is dead-on clean. His ability to throw in hammer-ons and pull-offs 
in the middle of runs bring a spasm of delight to this listener. While I am not an aficionado of guitar instumentals, per se, and 
the woods may be full of nimble-fingered guitarists, it was obvious from the first live performance that, in Robert, I was in the
 presence of someone  gifted beyond the average player.
If you are interested in purchasing the CD, e-mail Robert at rmguitar@bigfoot.com