CD Reviews

Glenn Jones

Against Which the Sea Continually Beats | Strange Attractors

By TED DROZDOWSKI | January 29, 2007

3.5 Stars

One of my favorite shows of 2006 was Glenn Jones on solo guitar at the Lizard Lounge. The pure beauty of the Cul de Sac leader’s tone on six- and 12-string and resonator guitars was transfixing. His balance of crisp technique and simplicity made the music both daring and accessible. And he brought a healthy self-depreciating humor to the stage that kept this deep listening experience from becoming precious. His second solo album comes close to capturing the hypnotic thrill of that gig, as he chimes and glides through “Heartbreak Hill” and leavens the dark droning undercurrent of “Bill Muller on the Erie Lackawanna” with a blithe melody. “The Teething Necklace” is a sonic elegy for his late hero John Fahey that’s full of breathy silences and folk-song-like lyricism. Then there’s the vaguely Eastern, or perhaps Hawaiian, slide inflections of “Island,” which in less than two minutes evoke the sad, stately beauty of some fallen empire. Cul de Sac have an international cult following, but Jones is a talent who deserves a larger audience for both his band and himself.

Related: Cul de Sac, Acoustic alchemy, In all languages, More

Topics: CD Reviews , John Fahey, Glenn Jones, Glenn Jones

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