Description:
"That title isn`t offhand or whimsical. The instrument so inextricably associated with white Appalachian bluegrass has its roots in Africa several hundred years ago and was brought to the States by slaves. Taylor and his guests-Keb` Mo`, Corey Harris, Don Vapple, Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart, all of whom play the banjo here-set out to bring it home by applying it to a series of blues-based originals and carefully chosen traditional covers. Gritty tales of wrongdoers and the wronged, lovers and haters, this is not entirely acoustic music-"Hey Joe," of Hendrix/Byrds renown, is pierced by Taylor`s nasty guitar licks, and his "Absinthe" takes an ethereal turn via Hart`s lap steel. There`s a history lesson to be learned here, but Recapturing the Banjo doesn`t aim to be a musicologist`s wet dream-banjos (even in the hands of Bela Fleck) have never sounded this vibrant. Standout tracks: "Absinthe," "Five Hundred" " - Jeff Tamarkin, Harp Magazine (Telarc)
