Here & Gone Again

The twanging lap steel of The Honeycutters’ Matt Smith sets a countrified tone for ‘Make Us Stay’, the opening track of The Resonant Rogues’ Here & Gone Again. But the range of styles and influences explored on this album by founding partners Sparrow (vocals, accordion, banjo) and Keith J Smith (guitar and percussion) extend well beyond any one vernacular. Ably supported by Craig Sandberg on upright bass and violinist Drayton Aldridge, the Rogues blend elements of Gypsy jazz, Balkan, klezmer, old-time and traditional folk music throughout the 11 tracks. On ‘Weight of this World,’ a mash-up of jazzy ragtime riffing and blues gives Smith's guitar and Aldridge's fiddle a fine foundation on which to stretch their chops. ‘Weary Head’ is built on a traditional English/Celtic ballad while the following track, ‘Break it Off’, employs a Parisian can-can beat to propel things forward. Je Widenhouse, of The Squirrel Nut Zippers, contributes a sprightly trumpet solo on ‘Waitin’ for the Rain’, a swinging-hot jazz shuffle.