Sam Bush – Howlin’ At The Moon
Craig Havighurst
Posted On May 1, 1998
There’s no more exciting or excitable a picker in acoustic music than Sam Bush. A whirling dervish onstage, he flails like Jimmy Page, conjuring up mesmerizing polyrhythmic chops and trailblazing solos, seasoned with the old-time wisdom of Bill Monroe and the persona of a Muppet.
It’s a challenge capturing this infectious enthusiasm in the studio, but Bush and his friends do a credible job on his new solo release, especially on cuts such as “Funk 42” and the Weather Report-influenced “Mr. Freddie”. Though not as successful overall as his 1996 CD Glamour & Grits, Howlin’ showcases Bush’s facility as a player and composer, as well as his stylistic sense of adventure.
As usual, Bush meshes bluegrass, funk, jazz, reggae and blues into a set more diverse than most people’s record collections. He pushes the bluegrass button hard on his own “Big Rabbit”, which reminds us that he’s an exceptional fiddle player as well. He swings gently on mandolin, mandocello and mandola on “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. He sings on six of the 14 cuts.
The weak link is the song selection. The more intimate songs on Glamour & Grits, such as Willis Alan Ramsey’s “The Ballad Of Spider John” and Bob Marley’s “Is This Love”, complemented Bush’s unadorned vocal style. The anthemic, new-ageish songs on this record, such as “Face Tomorrow” and “Go With The Flow”, are trite lyrically and underscore that Bush’s bassist and backup vocalist, John Cowan, is a much better singer.
Fellow Nashvillian and Sugar Hill artist Darrell Scott, who backs up Bush on guitar for most of the album, is a superb songwriter; one wishes Bush had mined Scott for a few tunes. Another underexploited resource here is banjo wizard Bela Fleck, with whom Bush has always done his best instrumental work. Fleck co-wrote the mellow “Harbor Docks” and plays on “Funk 42”, but if you want to hear more of this strikingly original sound, pick up the recent reissue of MCA’s 1989 release Strength In Numbers, a newgrass classic featuring Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and Jerry Douglas.
