House of Guitars [Import]

Gerhard's concept in ''House of Guitars'' was to use old, cheap pawnshop guitars (beaten-up Harmony's, a plastic Macaferri, etc.), such as many of us aging boomers first learned on, and to see if these old boxes had any ''old stories'' in them-- and he found some great ones.

Gerhard mixes three beautiful, haunting originals with compelling arrangements of some traditionals ("Poor Wayfaring Stranger" is done particularly well) and covers of McCartneys "I Will" and "Junk," Blind Willie Nelson's "I Just Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes" (featuring some great slide), and the sweet & slow love song, "Let It Be Me."

Gerhard shuns fast/flashy pyrotechnics and focuses more on the beauty of the melody and the 'story' of the song. In his originals (particularly "Promised Land" and "Because of You, This"), Gerhard reaffirms his credentials as a composer, and not just another player.

But all tracks are beautifully and impeccably delivered by this masterful storyteller. Highly recommended.

The novelty aside, Gerhard's original compositions and arrangements of well known and traditional pieces are gorgeous. It was listening to his arrangment of The Water is Wide (from an earlier album: Counting the Ways -- which I also highly recommnend) that inspired me to start seriously playing again after a hiatus of several years. To me, that says a lot.

He may not dazzle with the sheer technical brilliance of say, a Leo Kottke (or any number of the more contemporary string slammers), but Ed Gerhard more than makes up for it by making every note, every phrase and nuance count. As a result, you will want to listen this album over and over again.