Rating: NNN
In-demand sideman guitarist/mandolinist Joey Wright, of Crazy Strings notoriety, attempts to musically recontextualize the sonic palette of bluegrass on this, his second studio project. Neither specifically jazz nor folk, the songs of Jalopy hang together more like a disjointed series of cues from the soundtrack to an imaginary Dust Bowl-era melodrama filmed in a dentist’s office. The ensemble performances, however technically proficient, lack fire. Like many bloodless sessions involving Jesse Zubot, Jalopy seems like it was cut by A-level college students for course credit in applied bluegrass science. In any case, it may help Wright get some film scoring work, which may have been the point.
