Louisville, KY’s Nathan Salsburg has no shortage of achievements, but as a musician he’s primarily known for collaborating with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and fellow guitarist James Elkington, recording and touring in the band of singer-songwriter Joan Shelley, and for his own releases, the latest being the first to feature only acoustic guitar. Often, going truly solo details an artist with something to prove or at least intending to make a statement, but while Salsburg’s playing attains a high level early and then stays there, the emphasis is consistently on the beautiful while avoiding the florid or sedate. The contempo guitar renaissance carries on with Third, out July 20 on LP, CD, and digital from No Quarter.
If asked to categorize Nathan Salsburg’s new one, I’d call it an instrumental folk guitar album, which is no great feat of analysis on my part and might not seem like that big of a deal. Describing it as merely folk is perhaps limiting, but it gets to Salsburg’s knowledge and deft integration of tradition and geographical styles; since 2000 he’s worked as part of the Alan Lomax Archive and is currently its curator.
However, even as the animal paintings on Third’s cover suggest the rustic, the LP doesn’t register as a plunge into or expansion of well-established root forms, as throughout he’s closer to Bert Jansch in non-vocal mode than to the American Primitive or anything consciously old-timey. Opener “Timoney’s” does possess an Irish feel, in no small part due to the inspiration of “Timoney’s Ass,” a short story by the noted Irish writer Liam O’Flaherty.
As on his prior releases, “Timoney’s” makes abundantly clear that Salsburg is a master of his instrument, and yet there’s no flash for the sake of it, and likewise, the air of Ireland takes firm hold without getting laid on too thick, which is frankly a hinderance with a lot of neo-Irish stuff. Although the stated influence of UK folk-revival guitarists, amongst them Dick Gaughan and Paul Brady, is a recurring element in the disc’s scheme, foremost is the strength of the songs, with all but two of the ten Salsburg originals.
While lacking vocals, the construction of more than a couple of these pieces could easily welcome words; such is the case with “B.B.,” though not in this case or anywhere else on Third does it register as if something’s missing or underdeveloped. To the contrary, with the tracks composed without premeditation of forming an LP, the record is a quiet marvel of assemblage. “Impossible Air” was written in a converted cow-shed during a trip to Europe, and through execution that’s equal parts gorgeous and robust, it stands as a self-contained gem.
Following it is the first of the record’s adaptations, this one of the traditional tune “Planxty Davis” as arranged by the guitarist Nic Jones. This should hopefully reinforce the depth on offer here as the seamlessness between interpretations and originals is impressive; “A Hovering” comes next, unwinding gently but without faltering into placidity, while “Ruby’s Freilach / Low Sprits” combines Salsburg’s own composition (the left side of the slash) with a piece based partly on Ishbel MacAskill’s version of Murdo Ferguson’s “Tha Mo Spiorad Cianail (My Spirits Are Low).”
It’s early yet, but of Third’s originals, “The Walls of the World” might be the finest on offer, in part because the mood is tangibly more intense (without breaking the album’s spell), but more so that nary a note is laid wrong, which is especially remarkable as Salsburg’s progressions easily resist the predictable. To sidestep the expected while unfolding naturally is no small accomplishment, and the relatively easygoing “Sketch from Life” (written while watching college basketball on TV) drives it home quite well.
To non-players, it can occasionally seem like the inspiration for Guitar Soli (if not the execution) is an endless reservoir for the tapping, so it’s a nice reality check that “Exilic Excursions” took almost four years to complete. The contrast with “Sketch from Life” is striking; that one underscores Salsburg’s appreciation of jazz and ragtime material, while “Exilic Excursions” (the longest track here, breaking six minutes) dives back into the Brit-Irish zone to superb effect. The brief finale “Offering” is another cut that sounds like a possible good fit with vocals, and who knows, perhaps one day this will come to pass.
A consistent flow of worthwhile new American Primitive-derived works leads up to right now; please see Gwenifer Raymond’s recent LP for evidence, and good news, as there’s a new one from Glenn Jones on the horizon. But with its influences from across the big pond, Third stands apart from this impulse while remaining intrinsically tied to folk inspiration. It’s at once a breath of fresh air and profuse evidence that Nathan Salsburg is one of the finest guitarists on the current scene.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
