Ben Hall
Ben Hall!
Tompkins Square
Within the first
eight bars of
“Cannonball Rag,”
the Merle Travis
classic that kicks off
Ben Hall’s debut
album, you know
you’re listening to
a master of “thumbstyle” guitar. Hall plays
with a magical combination of relaxed swing
and relentless drive that is as inviting as it
is rare. Producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel kept
the recording live and spare, so the sparkling
sound of Hall’s ’90s Gretsch Country Classic
(which he used on every track, despite the
cool Tele-style Wallace pictured on the album
cover) rings out cleanly. Accompanied on
some songs by appropriately shuffling drums
and gently thumping upright bass, Hall
moves with authority and grace through this
collection of mostly instrumental classics, putting
his own stamp on each. Hall’s rendition
of “Windy & Warm,” for instance, is slower
and more pensive than the bouncier versions
popularized by Chet Atkins and Doc Watson.
Expect to hear a lot more from this extraordinary
22-year-old fingerpicker.
Ben Hall!
Tompkins Square
Within the first
eight bars of
“Cannonball Rag,”
the Merle Travis
classic that kicks off
Ben Hall’s debut
album, you know
you’re listening to
a master of “thumbstyle” guitar. Hall plays
with a magical combination of relaxed swing
and relentless drive that is as inviting as it
is rare. Producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel kept
the recording live and spare, so the sparkling
sound of Hall’s ’90s Gretsch Country Classic
(which he used on every track, despite the
cool Tele-style Wallace pictured on the album
cover) rings out cleanly. Accompanied on
some songs by appropriately shuffling drums
and gently thumping upright bass, Hall
moves with authority and grace through this
collection of mostly instrumental classics, putting
his own stamp on each. Hall’s rendition
of “Windy & Warm,” for instance, is slower
and more pensive than the bouncier versions
popularized by Chet Atkins and Doc Watson.
Expect to hear a lot more from this extraordinary
22-year-old fingerpicker.