CD Reviews

Jorma Kaukonen

Stars in My Crown | Red House

By BRETT MILANO | April 10, 2007

3.5 Stars

When Hot Tuna played the Somerville Theatre last fall, the line-up included a mandolin player who got almost as much space as guitarist Jorma Kaukonen did, and the set had as much laid-back country as it did blazing guitar jams. Both the mandolinist (Barry Mitterhoff) and the laid-back vibe carry over to Kaukonen’s latest solo effort. But it’s very much the guitarist’s show, with a personal approach to songwriting that Kaukonen seldom displayed in Tuna. “Living in the Moment” and “A Life Well Lived” (both instrumentals that evoke the mood of their titles) reveal where Jorma’s head is these days: this disc exudes contentment, middle-aged and otherwise, and the opening “Heart Temporary” is explicitly about the peace he’s found late in life. Like most of his acoustic albums, it’s pretty much rock-free, but fans of Kaukonen’s elegant fingerpicking won’t be disappointed, and he dips into the Tuna repertoire for the one gritty moment, Lightnin’ Hopkins’s “Come Back Baby.” The base of disc’s second half is traditional gospel that includes a foreboding take on Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around” and a joyful version of the traditional title track. Kaukonen has been doing Reverend Gary Davis songs since Hot Tuna’s debut, but here it’s clear the gospel material is coming from the heart.

Related: Playing with poetry, Rosanne Cash | The List, Joyride, More

Topics: CD Reviews , Johnny Cash, Lightnin' Hopkins, Jorma Kaukonen, More

| More

Most Popular

The Current Issue

Table of Contents

Cover Archive

Masthead | Authors | Contact us

Blogs

Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics | March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM

[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download | March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM

See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame | March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM

See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

ARTICLES BY BRETT MILANO

REVIEW: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN': EVERYMAN'S JOURNEY | March 04, 2013
There's no sex or drugs, just a lot of professionalism.

WALTER SICKERT LEADS A BAND OF MUSICAL MISFITS | February 05, 2011
When Walter Sickert and his Army of Broken Toys played an official First Night show at the Hynes Auditorium on New Year's Eve, they ran overtime and the soundman pulled the plug — which isn't quite the smartest way of shutting down an acoustic band.

GUIDED BY VOICES RETURN WITH SELF-INFLICTED NOSTALGIA | November 07, 2010
When Guided by Voices announced their reunion tour this year, it marked a milestone of sorts for the Dayton band. This is arguably the first conventional career move they've ever made.

DANDO AND HATFIELD REKINDLE A MUSICAL COURTSHIP | November 01, 2010
Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield were never a serious couple, and they never played music together for very long.

REVIEW: ROCK OF AGES | October 12, 2010
At the start of the hair-metal musical Rock of Ages (at the Colonial Theatre through October 17), narrator Lonny (Patrick Lewallen) promises a night of sexy decadence and general kick-assery.