Ralph Carney – This Is

Hey! Ralph Carney’s the shit! I say so, Tom Waits says so. Tom Waits says "He's like a broken toy that works better than before it was broken." And Ralph can play three reed instruments at the same time! This album is great – Ralph plays lots of reed instruments and lots of other stuff including, guitars, flute, banjo, spoons, washboard. And he may be in running for the award for playing the most instruments on a single album. Play!

All are good but check out: 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

1. jug band/ragtime – banjo, washboard, saxes, clarinet, spoons
2. middle eastern feel - slow and hypnotic at beginning, then picks up speed – voice samples plus a laugh track
3. drum loop, harp, trombone, and Ralph sings!
4. distorted steel guitar + cowbell, middle eastern/Indian flavor
5. jazzy discordance -- flute, reeds, trumpet
6. back door blues, banjo + vocals
7. free jazz-y, spacey – clarinet, bongos + football fans sample at end
8. short (1:00) avant garde jazz sax riffs,
9. Turkish sound, shakers, deep breathing
10. country/blues – lap steel, guitar, cymbals,
11. quick – somewhat middle eastern/jazzy, jew harp, reeds, panpipes!
12. bongos, Turkish keyboards, processed vocals
13. bossa nova feel – great vocals
14. long (~13 min) jazz exploration – wow!
15. Duke Ellington – lots of reeds + trumpet