New music from Old Man Luedecke is always welcome news in these parts. The banjo picker has charmed audiences all over the world, won a Juno award and even with all his success, Chris has never lost the humility that makes him such an inviting performer. Sure, he has “hits” like “Quit My Job” and “Big Group Breakfast” that fans happily singalong to, but the emotion and personal admissions that accompany his claw hammering should be celebrated and treasured from coast to coast.

 

Anyone’s that’s ever sat down in a small bar and heard Chris play knows that he’s completely comfortable being a solo, road warrior, but on his last record (the fabulous My Hands are on Fire and other Love Songs), he delivered a collection of full band arrangements. On his latest release, Sing All About It, Chris continues to explore the benefits of collaboration. Joining forces with Quebec string band, Lake of Stew, the players have come up with seven songs that are loose and fun, letting Luedecke step back from the spotlight and happily to band member and introduce beautiful harmonies and interesting textures to his songwriting.

 

The opening number, “Delia and Wilhelmina” (and “Monsanto Jones”), is a trademark Luedecke song but it’s thickened with harmonies and Lake of Stews tasteful strings. The song is joyous, hinting at the birth of twins after years of trying, and you can’t help but picture the band sitting on a porch smiling their way through this surrounded by friends, spirits and fresh air.

 

Even with these two familiar entry points, the EP happily moves away from Chris’ normal melodies. “Phone is Tapped (and I don’t care)” takes on a more traditional, jug band sound, with feverish picking and group harmonies. “Too Much Too Late” lets some twinkled ivories and a mouth harp drive the melody (plus they throw in a lyric about the two-man luge), “Sleeping In (is therapeutic and underrated)” gives off an Old Crow Medicine Show vibe, and “Tap Water” is a full band, drunken singalong that drops in some surprisingly heavy electric guitar work. Even the beautiful instrumental closer seems like a new direction for Luedecke, but all experimentation is handled well.

 

I have no idea if future collaborations are on tap for Lake of Stew and Old Man, but we can all hope. It’s great to see Chris stretching his legs and wearing a big smile, and any attention Lake of Stew gets from this project is long overdue. Even better, the EP is free. Head over to Noisetrade and grab it now.

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MP3:: Old Man Luedecke & Lake of Stew – Monsanto Jones

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3:: Old Man Luedecke & Lake of Stew – Too Much Too Late
WEB:: http://noisetrade.com/oldmanluedecke