Eric Brace & Thomm Jutz – Circle and Square
This effort touches upon a few hefty subjects – creation, natural disasters (tornadoes & hurricanes), the White House, coral reefs, democracy & grief. Sounds like life’s business as usual. But these topics are great song clay in the hands of skillful musicians — to be shaped & molded into something that’s an endless endeavor. What’s wonderful is when good songs can tell a story without being too deeply embellished.
However, Eric Brace (Last Train Home) & Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith) apply creativity & originality to their work with care. There are 10 musical contrasts to Circle and Square (Drops Jan 16/Red Beet Records/33:51), their 2nd album, driven by fine acoustic work & harmonies. This showcase was produced & recorded by Andy Kern & Mr. Jutz & laid down in Nashville, TN.
The music & lyrics are a mix of past duos who’ve had similar success in the past – Lowen & Navarro (“Cry”), Vigrass & Osborne (“Virginia”) & the late career country endeavors of the Everly Brothers (“Lord Of the Manor,” “Milk Train”). Story songs are my weakness, so “Thomas Hart Benton” has a fanciful melody in a disciplined performance. Quite good.
At times, had early Elton John continued in a “Tumbleweed Connection” trajectory, he may have written such compositions. “Diego In Detroit,” continues in this rustic balladry style, which is attractive since it isn’t too heavily folky or C&W. The title track “Circle & Square” has pleasant harmonic vocals, with excellent acoustic guitars & is good-natured though nothing special.
There’s nothing edgy or thematically challenging, but there’s a dose of simplicity as quietly compelling as Bob Dylan & the Band’s Basement Tapes. Eric Brace (guitar/vocals) & Thomm Jutz (guitar/banjo/bouzouki/vocals) are professionally recorded, so the sound is even more convincing. Tunes like “Nothing Hurts” have a Basement Tapes quality. It has homegrown cleverness, a rich coating of acoustic guitars & purity.
The gears shift when the duo play “Fontana Dam” — a wonderful, confident dip into Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band country stylization (“Garden Party” LP) if not a touch of what Michael Nesmith & his First National Band (“Silver Moon”) did. These artists seem like unlikely comparisons, but during this era of their careers, they both explored exceptional alt-country styles long before they became popular.
Many tunes have persuasive sides. The instrumentation is pristine. Fans of Gram Parsons, Guy Clark, Townes van Zandt & the like will enjoy these songs. There’s nothing controversial, radical, or juvenile about these self-assured pieces. It’s just music that’s sensitive, meticulous, & with small smoky folk narratives that lay upon an ear like a warm blanket.
Highlights – “Thomas Hart Benton,” “Diego In Detroit,” “Nothing Hurts,” “Fontana Dam,” & “Wide Open.”
Musicians – Finn Goodwin-Bain (piano), Mark Fain (bass) & Lynn Williams (drums).
Color image courtesy of Eric Brace & Thomm Jutz. CD @ https://www.redbeetrecords.com/ & https://thommjutz.com/ & https://ericbrace.blogspot.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Interview: Eric Brace & Thomm Jutz Bring The Now To “Simple Motion”
