If you're in the mood for emotional, acoustic steel-string guitar in the grand tradition of finger-style pioneers Leo Kottke and John Fahey, pop Out of the Box into your player. While Jerry Ristow-Danks' original compositions like "Dance of the Banshees," "Just Say Yes," "Linda Vista" and "The Spring Street Scratch" showcase his smooth, relaxing style, it is the guitarist's stunningly mournful and longing interpretation of the traditional Easter hymn "O Filii et Filiae" and his rollicking, folksy takes on "Shadowland" and "Globe Fox Trot," two sides of a 78 record made by Prince's Band in 1915 and given to Ristow-Danks by his grandfather, that elevate Out of the Box to uncommon heights.
Ristow-Danks occasionally adds percussion, strings, a mandolin or a Dobro for extra effect, but most of these songs sound just fine in their organic, unaccompanied states. Informative liner notes not only take readers inside Ristow-Danks' head when he wrote these songs, but they also satisfy the curiosity of listeners who care about such things by indicating the tunings he used on each one. This is a CD you can play all day at your office while working, all evening at your home while entertaining or practically anytime in between when your life requires a touch of elegant earthiness.
Track Listing:
1) Bluefields
2) Dance of the Banshees
3) Harley
4) Just Say Yes
5) That My Joy Be In You
6) O Filii et Filiae
7) Linda Vista
8) The Spring Street Scratch
9) Mirage
10) Shadowland/Globe Fox Trot
11) Timeless
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