What Is American
Bright Shiny Things, 2022
9/10
The Grammy Nominated PUBLIQuartet create another exceptional listen here, where their modern chamber formula steers us through 20 tracks of blues, jazz, free and rock influenced sounds.
The quick “Fifth Verse: Prelude” starts the listen with minimal warmth and many spoken voices, which sets the foundation for “Improvisations on Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96”, by Rhiannon Giddens, which showcases strings that nearly sound mechanical in their erratic screeching, as well as gentle in a soothing way.
Elsewhere, Fats Waller’s “Improvisations on “Honeysuckle Rose” recruits narration from A’Lelia Bundles in the musically animated and lyrically powerful climate, while Vijay Iyer’s “Dig the Say” is a lively album highlight that manipulates the strings with fasinating progressions that are quite colorful.
Landing near the end, “CARDS 11.11.20” spends 8+ minutes mesmerizing us with its bare ambience that can be as haunting as it can be eloquent, and “Wild Women Don't Get the Blues”, by Ida Cox, finishes with meticulous plucking and expressive bowing that leaves an indelible impression.
Not so surprisingly, What Is American made its way to the top of the charts, and PUBLIQuartet’s Black and Indigenous music roots are still very much intact across this rich and diverse affair.
Travels well with: Catalyst Quartet- Uncovered Vol. 2: Florence B. Price; Dover Quartet- Beethoven Complete String Quartets: Volume 3