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Joel Sprayberry has traveled a similar path as another acoustic guitar hero, Willy Porter. His first two albums were focused on the power of the steel strings and wood beneath his fingers and less on supplemental

The highlights of this latest effort are the fantastic but scarce instrumental guitar loop interludes (“I don’t mind,” and  “Take Me Away From Here”) which both far outshine the mediocre, middle-of-the-road unplugged songs—several overproduced with horns and organ—that saturate the album. While Sprayberry’s cover of Cindi Lauper’s “Time After Time” is a bit painful to endure (vocally, Sprayberry is no master), his fast-paced rendition of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” is a fun acoustic romp that offers glimpses of his guitar greatness.

Acoustic virtuoso Leo Kottke once quipped that he quit singing on his albums because his vocals sounded like “goose farts in the wind.” I wouldn’t go so far as to peg Joel Sprayberry with goosey vocals, but his albums would definitely benefit from more stringing and less singing.

RIYL: Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews Band, Willy Porter

Greg Adams