Howe Gelb Listener CD

The Listener marks 20 idiosyncratic years of Howe Gelb on his own. His first solo effort, the cassette-only Incidental Music, hit the streets in 1983 and although he's issued other solo works since, he remains best known as the man behind Arizona's equally idiosyncratic Giant Sand and OP8 with Lisa Germano. Recorded primarily in Denmark (from where his second wife, Sophie Albertsen, hails), Gelb sounds as Southwestern as ever (even if he actually grew up in Pennsylvania). His distinctive voice has always come across like a dust-blown cross between Lou Reed, Neil Young, and Lee Hazlewood, but there's more jazzy piano and understated brass and strings here than rock & roll or country guitar. On "Felonious," Mr. "Home" as he's billed himself, even acknowledges the debt to Reed, while wishing he could play the keys more like Duke Ellington or Thelonious Monk -- even if the melancholy number sounds more like Young's "After the Gold Rush." The overall mood is casual, laid-back, and relaxed. Just as Lee Hazlewood once titled an album, Cowboy in Sweden, The Listener could as easily have been titled "A (Space) Cowboy in Denmark." ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy

Gelb (ex-Blacky Ranchette, Giant Sand, OP8) has remained vibrant and vital for nearly two decades and this CD is no different. It's one of his most personal yet, with piano driven songs and contributions by friends who add stunning vocals, a slight salsa vibe and a Williams twang to various tracks. 13 tracks. Thrill Jockey. 2003.

Principally recorded at Harvey's, Phoenix, Arizona; Wavelab, Tucson, Arizona; Beech House, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Howe Gelb (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, synthesizer, chimes); Rennie Sparks (vocals, autoharp); Brett Sparks (vocals, piano); Marie Frank (vocals); Anders Pedersen (lap steel guitar, mandolin); Nils Grondahl (violin, musical saw); Michael Fan (violin); Richard Erikson (accordion); Thorbjorn Krogshede (saxophone); John Convertino (drums); Peter Dombernowsky (congas, percussion); Anders Stochholm (percussion); Harvey Moltz (sound effects).

Audio Mixers: Jakob Berthelsen; Harvey Moltz; Mark Nevers; Nick Luca.

Recording information: Feedback Recording, Aarhus, Denmark; Harvey's (Dino's Pad), Tucson, AZ; Hotel, Milano, Italy; The Beech House, Nashville, TN; Wavelab, Tucson, AZ.

Photographer: Bill Carter.

Personnel: Howe Gelb (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, chimes); Marie Frank (vocals); Anders Pedersen (lap steel guitar, mandolin); Rox Erikkson (accordion); Brett Sparks (piano, background vocals); Joe Burns, Nick Luca (bass); John Convertino (drums).

Mojo (Publisher) (4/03, p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...There's a moving intimacy and improvisation feel to the wistful, late night, piano songs....Nice..."