GLOBAL STRINGS

WALTER STAUSS
Planet Solitaire
Redstone Records

The latest project from guitar wizard Walter Strauss is a six-track EP that mines global music for inspiration. Two tracks, “Djimbaseh” and “Djeli,” are Western African tunes. The first was penned by kora master Mamadou Diabate and Strauss does a fantastic job of rearranging it for guitar by using resonate bass notes as contrast to ringing harmonics and cascading sharp notes. The second tune is Guinean, but it has passages that sound Bahamian. In keeping with his penchant for mixing global cocktails Strauss wrote “Ishi,” to honor the last survivor of California’s Yahi tribe. The tune is a triple decker sandwich with African rhythms containing dreamy passages. An even more remarkable exploration is Strauss’s reworking of the George Harrison Anglo/Indian composition “Within You Without You.” Strauss doesn’t deconstruct the piece so much as smash it and reassemble selected slices of it. Strauss is also a competent singer, though neither of the songs—“Weather Rule” and “Blessed Sunday”—dazzle. There’s nothing wrong with either, but Strauss is as conservative vocally as he is bold instrumentally. His tendency to mirror guitar and vocal melodies note for note makes the songs seem plodding. Let me be the first to encourage him to stretch his vocal limits as well.