Cisco - 7740 Valmont St.

The guy with one name really knows his roots. With a simple, stripped-down sound that comes out solid, crisp, and classy, this is some pretty danged high-quality music. A little folksy, a little rockin', a little country, this is one of those impossible-to-box-in genre busters that gets put under the tag of Americana, but it doesn't matter what you call it. It's nothing short of exceptional.

This album is a testimony to what two really talented guys can accomplish with minimal assistance. Cisco writes the songs, sings them, plays guitars and harmonica; Pete Anderson produces the tracks and plays almost every other instrument heard (which includes bass, drums, piano, guitars, lap steel, mandolin, mandola, banjo, casio synth, and all the percussion). They get a little help from Skip Edwards on piano and organ; Jeff Roberts on bass for a track; and Jonathan Clark does some background vocals. The result? Wow.

Cisco has a sound which reminds me of something or someone, but I can't place it, so I figure it's just something I like. Maybe a little Dylan, a little Mellancamp, a little REK; maybe he's just totally unique. Whatever, I could just bliss out on these warm sounds and inventive, intelligent lyrics. From the instantly grabbing title track through such powerful songs as "Say A Prayer" and "Dog Eared Memories," there's not a moment wasted or a second's faltering on this disc.

7740 Valmont St. demonstrates how the independent artist and label can compete with the "big dogs" in the industry. Cisco's music retains the powerful, gritty substance of roots music, but Little Dog produces a mighty smooth disc. A producer like Anderson, who really knows his music, helps with that, and while I've heard him called "too heavy handed," I disagree. The weaving of instruments and voice is seamless, without losing or overshadowing any of Cisco's pure realism.