All Gist

James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg are contemporary acoustic guitar heroes, and both boast an array of interesting credits ranging from eclectic solo projects and production gigs to long-term roles as sidemen. Elkingtons 2023 solo set Me Neither was a sprawling, homemade anthology of guitar-based library music, while Salsburgs similarly experimental Landwerk project used loops of arcane 78 rpm records as the basis for new compositions. The two also have a long history of working together. In the 2020s, Elkington produced solo albums for both Salsburg (2021s Psalms) and his wife and collaborator, singer-songwriter Joan Shelley (2022s The Spur). All Gist is their third album of guitar duets and follows 2015s understated masterpiece Ambsace. What these two players bring to the table -- and these songs were literally arranged at Elkingtons kitchen table -- is an inherent curiosity and intellect that transcend the folk idioms they come from. Elkington, who is English, plays like a natural successor to U.K. forebears like Bert Jansch and Martin Carthy, and Kentucky-based Salsburg has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of American folk music in his fingers. Together, though, they create music that feels fresh as springtime. Opener "Death Wishes to Kill" -- its title nicked from T.F Powys strange and witty 1931 novel Unclay -- is as deft a showpiece as theyve ever written, bursting with kinetic energy and a shared sense of excitement. "Numb Limbs" is similarly virtuosic, a percussive duel where each interlocking part pushes the other forward in motion. There is, of course, a range of tempos and tones here, including the poignant "Well, Well, Cornelius" and the elegant crawl of "Fears of This Nature." As on previous releases, they pepper their original compositions with traditional and unexpected offerings like the old Breton melodies of "Rule Bretagne" and an inspired cover of Neneh Cherrys 1988 hit "Buffalo Stance." Each player is incredibly talented and tasteful, but together their instincts mesh in such a way that they become a four-limbed handshake of smart, joyful song. Although their busy schedules may not converge often, when they do, its pretty special. ~ Timothy Monger