Sincere

When UK native James Blackshaw plays his 12-string, something spiritual takes place - the unassuming 23-year-old is transformed into a guitar god whose name belongs alongside the likes of Jack Rose, Steffen Basho-Junghans and Glenn Jones. Time after time, Blackshaw hits out of the park, consistently breaking boundaries in what could be conceived as a somewhat limited medium. O True Believers is the latest in a string of impressive releases, all with their own mood and inspiration. Consisting of mainly solo 12-string acoustic guitar played in a finger-picked style not dissimilar to Robbie Basho, Blackshaw has devised new tunings and new techniques, both of which are in full display here. The album is occasionally embellished with other instruments, such as the Hindustani tamboura and a specially tuned psaltery of Eastern-European origin called a cymbala. This is James Blackshaw at his most vulnerable and sincere, and with that comes two rare and wonderful qualities: truth and freedom.

The first release from Jerry Garcia's short-lived backcountry bluegrass act was this 1973 recording that also highlighted the amazing skills of mandolin player David Grisman. The quintet actually released only this record, recorded at a series of performances in 1973, but the sound caught on with Grateful Dead fans and the record actually built up the group's legacy long after they disbanded…..

The career of Lou Reed defies capsule summarization. Like David Bowie (whom Reed directly inspired in many ways), he has made over his image many times, mutating from theatrical glam rocker to scary-looking junkie to avant-garde noiseman to straight rock & roller to your average guy. A firmer grasp of rock's earthier qualities has ensured a more consistent career path than Bowie's, particularly in his latter years. Yet his catalog is extremely inconsistent, in both quality and stylistic orientation. Liking one Lou Reed LP, or several, or all of the ones he did in a particular era, is no guarantee that you'll like all of them, or even most of them. Few would deny Reed's immense importance and considerable achievements, however. As has often been written, he expanded the vocabulary of rock & roll lyrics into the previously forbidden territory of kinky sex, drug use (and abuse), decadence, transvestites, homosexuality, and suicidal depression.