Laura Love Helvetica Bold CD

Helvetica Bold is actually the name of a modern typeface, but as the notes explain, Laura Love means it to refer to the ancient Helvetii, a Celtic people in the time of Julius Caesar. Considering the bloody fate of the Celts at the hands of Caesar, this many not sound like an auspicious beginning. But we all know that Laura Love is glossing on her unique style of music, which she calls "Afro-Celtic." And Love delivers the goods with her best album to date: great songs, great yodeling, great fiddling and steel guitar. Finalizing a formula that would also serve her well on Octoroon, her next album, Helvetica Bold features a cover of a modern hit, a cover of a "middle-aged" country song (from Hank Williams this time), a couple of traditionals (including an aching, full-throated rendition of "Wayfaring Stranger"), and an original protest song with world music overtones. The best song on the disc is the kickoff track "A Ha Me A Riddle I Day," an original which straddles the divide between a Celtic reel and an African-American nursery rhyme song, a la Bo Diddley. Love loves to quote older music, and here she slyly inserts a verse of the song "Who Will Buy," from the musical Oliver!. A couple of folksy, whimsical originals round out the album; they're pleasing, if not exciting. Anyone fascinated by the deep connections between black and white music in America must buy this album; everyone else will have to buy it because it's great fun. ~ Kurt Keefner