Beggar's Oil

Beggar's Oil

Kelly Joe Phelps, accompanied by veteran bassist Larry Taylor and drummer Billy Conway (ex-Morphine), recorded his 2001 release Sky Like a Broken Clock in just three days. You have to figure that such a stream-of-consciousness recording session generated some alternate takes and songs that just didn't fit on the finished album--and you'd be right. Hence Beggar's Oil, a limited-edition EP full of goodies for fans of one of the greatest slide guitarists around. The title track is taken from Sky, perhaps to set the mood, but the other five songs consists of two alternate versions of songs from the album, plus three songs that didn't make it to the album. The band arrangement of "Tommy" is a little odd, and it's easy to understand why it's not on Sky--it's not bad, it's just not as perfect as the one Phelps performs solo. With "Don Quixote's Windmill," as with "Tommy," Phelps gently explores a world of madness in a way that makes sense of it, while "Lass of Loch Royale" is simply beautiful. Never obtrusive or forceful, Phelps's music appeals penetratingly to both head and heart, leaving an impression long after the last notes have faded. --Genevieve Williams

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