Kelly Joe Phelps, Sky Like a Broken Clock - 55m 11s

Tracks & Durations

1. Taylor John	5:43
2. Clementine	6:10
3. Sally Ruby	4:08
4. Beggar's Oil	3:24
5. Flash cards	5:51
6. Gold tooth	6:49
7. Tommy	5:28
8. Fleashine	5:31
9. Mr. My Go	6:52
10. Worn out	5:07

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Review

Since 1994, when he made his debut with Lead Me On, Kelly Joe Phelps has reinvented the slide guitar to his own specifications. This isn't to shortchange his superb, smoky voice or distinctive tunecraft. Still, it was his way with a steel bar and an open-D tuning that made his listeners sit up and take notice, along with his tendency to function as a one-man band. So his considerable following may be distressed to learn that on Sky Like a Broken Clock, Phelps has not only forsaken his solo format but ditched the slide entirely. Has the bluesy bard of Vancouver, Washington, gone commercial on us? Not in the least. The band--Larry Taylor on upright bass and Morphine's Billy Conway on drums--is agile and eccentric enough to follow the leader every step of the way. Phelps compensates for the absent slide with some elegant fingerpicking, particularly on such pentatonic beauties as "Beggar's Oil" and "Worn Out," which suggest a less mordant, Americanized version of Richard Thompson. And his singing has grown looser, whether he's slipping in and out of his falsetto on the funky "Sally Ruby" or commemorating a lost soul in "Tommy." A little more textural variety might have been welcome: the ensemble settles into one melancholic groove after another, and the dabs of organ and cello don't really change matters. For the most part, though, this is exquisite, surprising stuff--and if Phelps's melisma gets any smoother, he may be able to retire the slide for good. --James Marcus

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