Jim Campilongo is one of those guitarists who's never made the front rank of axe heroes, but who still has his fans, and is making a living from his fretwork. He's best-known for his mix of country and jazz, but unfortunately there's not too much of that here, other than "Awful Pretty, Pretty Awful," "When You Wish Upon a Star," and a cover of
Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge." Elsewhere,
Campilongo is pushing the sonic edge, as on a sludgy "Backburner" or a version of "No Fun" that manages to live up to its title, unfortunately, with a dreary vocal by Leah Siegel, who also drags down
the Stones' "No Expectations." At times, it's all heavy rifferama for the power trio, as with "Fingerpuppet," but there's some delicacy on the title cut, largely thanks to the acoustic work of guest
Steve Cardenas. Mostly, though, it sounds as if
Campilongo is searching for a new direction, exploring heaviness, dissonance, and technique. Unfortunately, this time around, it seems as if melody doesn't figure largely in the equation. ~ Chris Nickson