For recent albums, particularly Morning Star and Axacan, Virginia guitarist Daniel Bachman has moved away from a more straight-up solo guitar structure and has brought in field and radio recordings, as well as leaning more heavily on the drone sounds that have permeated many of his records. The guitar is always there, and the playing is always ace, but it has taken a lesser role on these albums.
For Lonesome Weary Blues, a mini-album of covers and traditional tunes, Bachman’s acoustic is again the star of the show. He plays the songs respectfully and with obvious love and care across the set; the music sounds joyous, and the picking is as confident and precise as you would expect from Daniel.
Also, to be expected is a song from Jack Rose and Rappahanock River Rag from his seminal Kensington Blues album is one of the best. Here Daniel’s thumbed bass line is as firm and well-timed as Jack’s, working beautifully with more delicate and easier picking on the higher strings. …the playing is relaxed, with soft and unaggressive notes coaxed from the guitar. It results in a set that is quite calming and a very enjoyable listen. The breezy Maiden’s Prayer, a lesser-known song, is another excellent example of this, with Daniel’s Weissenborn conjuring a sweet and rich sound in front of a suggestion of a drone. Even the title track is misleading, with the major notes giving the mood of the piece an untroubled air. This is akin to the version Daniel mentions in the album notes by Roy Harvey and Leonard Copeland, but he slows the tempo slightly, again bringing in that more casual feel to the sound.
Elsewhere, a sense of melancholy is achieved through a lovely version of Elizabeth Cotten’s ‘Til we Meet Again, but, like with Cotten’s original, there is still lightness and optimism present, which is in keeping with the rest of the album. Indeed, Lonesome Weary Blues finishes with Daniel’s take on Amazing Grace, the ultimate positive song, with its message of eternal salvation and redemption in the brightness of the afterlife. The message from this perennial uplifting piece is there to behold – the idea of navigating difficulty and finding a different and possibly more satisfying phase – and its timing is right. It is also a fitting end to a beautifully balanced, unpretentious and life-affirming album from this ever-creative musician.
