Under the radar: 'Gamblin' House'

Shane Gilchrist presents a special Summer Times selection of albums that, although obscure, are worth exploring.

Today: Malcolm Holcombe gives his fingers a workout on Gamblin' House.

Who: Malcolm Holcombe, born and raised in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, is regarded as a significant talent among American and European folk/roots/blues fans.

He has toured with Shelby Lynne and opened for Merle Haggard, Richard Thompson, John Hammond, Leon Russell and Wilco.

About the album: Released at the start of 2008, Gamblin' House (Echo Mountain Records) has received rave reviews and for good reason: Holcombe's voice, described as a combination of tree bark and railroad iron, is about as rugged as they come.

Think Tom Waits and you're getting close.

However, it is his acoustic guitar playing that lifts him to a place where few vie for comparison (Jerry Reed perhaps?).

Holcombe specialises in clawhammer fingerstyle, an approach that requires thumb to play bass while other fingers fret the melody; done well, it can seem as if there are two people playing guitar.

In Holcombe's case, it's more like three.

Highlights: Cynthia Margaret has a breezy, bouncy country-jazz life to it, helped by slide guitar and a rough-and-ready vocal from Holcombe that leaves you with the impression he prefers to play and sing at the same time rather than divorce one element from the other.

For those who like: Ry Cooder, technical dexterity matched with heart.

 

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