by Skip JansenThe New York avant-blues minstrel is found in peak form here, with his subtle electric blues sounding as eloquent as ever, yet this recording benefits over many of his others for the strength of the overall arrangement. His albums are always thematically assembled into suites -- check out the sublime concepts on albums Hell's Kitchen Park or Little Match Girl for further evidence of this craft. At times throughout his recording career, he stumbles and ambles around riffs, never quite going anywhere but just filling the air with his distinctive technique and tone. On Evangeline, that very tone is maximized and recorded in stunning high fidelity, every creak and whisper of the six-string is audible, from subtle crying cluster to storms of textured wash which crest like waves -- an ocean of unadorned harmony. With accompaniment from Susanne Langile on vocals, the duo strings a beautiful folktale on Evangeline which covers many moods yet resolves as one beautiful piece of mesmerizing electric folk-blues.