#accomplice two

Song Review: Tommy Emmanuel feat. Molly Tuttle - “White Freight Liner Blues”

“You lead now,” Tommy Emmanuel shouts as Molly Tuttle sings “White Freight Liner Blues.”

She then proves herself a guitarist able to stand proudly alongside the certified guitar player Emmanuel. And she sings Townes Van Zandt’s number with unabashed joy to boot, climbing to high highs as her fingers dance along her fretboard.

“I’ve been a big fan of Tommy’s music since I was first learning to play guitar as a kid and felt so inspired by his virtuosity on the instrument as well as his spirit as an entertainer,” Tuttle said in a statement.

The high-test track features a rhythm section behind the six-string slingers and signals the April 28 arrival of Emmanuel’s spotlight-sharing Accomplice Two.

Single No. 1 bodes well. Not only does the duo do Van Zandt proud, Tuttle confirms her status as an ace on the mic and through the amp for any doubters who may have remained.

Grade card: Tommy Emmanuel feat. Molly Tuttle - “White Freight Liner Blues” - A

Song Review: Little Feat feat. Tommy Emmanuel - “Cajun Girl” (Live, March 11, 2023)

Scott Sharrard should not fret about being stymied as he engaged Tommy Emmanuel in a guitar duel.

That the Little Feat electric guitarist kept pace at all with the acoustic certified guitar player is reason enough to hold his neck high. And in any event, the Sharrard-Emmanuel face off is the most-satisfying moment in an otherwise-ho-hum rendition of “Cajun Girl” as performed March 11 and just released on professional video.

Emmanuel and the band originally re-recorded the track for the former’s Accomplice Two - read Sound Bites’ review here - which was an odd choice given all the exceptional Little Feat numbers from which to choose. The song is only slightly more exciting on stage than it is on wax and that is owing exclusively to Sharrard and Emmanuel’s little battle.

But the fact remains “Cajun Girl” is a weak composition from the post-Lowell George edition of Feat.

Grade card: Little Feat feat. Tommy Emmanuel - “Cajun Girl” (Live - 3/11/23) - C+

Music Worth Seeing: Tommy Emmanuel and Yasmin Williams Go to “Mombasa”

Newsflash! Music is for listening.

But every now and then - like when Tommy Emmanuel and Yasmin Williams get together remotely in the studio - music is also for viewing.

Emmanuel, the veteran certified guitar player, recruited Williams, the singular up-and-comer, to join him on a re-recording of his composition “Mombasa.” The result is a highlight from Emmanuel’s uneven, guest-filled Accomplice Two, which Sound Bites reviewed here.

In addition to guitar, Williams adds colorful kimbala to the mix. But it’s her guitar-in-lap playing and fondness for percussive effects that complements Emmanuel’s peerless style so well.

This isn’t a show-off piece. “Mombasa” is rather a relaxed, shimmering roller that allows the players to take it relatively easy while still doing things most guitars do - and can - not do.

Watch.

And listen.

Song Review: Tommy Emmanuel feat. Billy Strings - “Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag”

Put Tommy Emmanuel and Billy Strings together and unplugged sparks fly.

The premier acoustic guitarists of their respective generations paired to record “Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag” for Emmanuel’s Accomplice Two. The instrumental collaboration/Doc Watson tribute is out as the third and final single ahead of the LP’s April 28 arrival.

With Mike Bub providing sonic glue on double bass, Emmanuel and Strings are free to fly about their fretboards with abandon. Which they do. The magic is that they never abandon the melody in the process.

Grade card: Tommy Emmanuel feat. Billy Strings - “Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag” - A

Album Review: Tommy Emmanuel - Accomplice Two 

A veritable mix tape of some of Tommy Emmanuel’s favorite songs as recorded with some of his best musical friends, Tommy Emmanuel’s Accomplice Two is itself fodder for an Emmanuel fan’s playlist.

Ricocheting across an hour of various artists playing varying styles of music, Accomplice Two is the sonic equivalent of a drive on a hilly country road as the musicians recast their own songs or play Emmanuel originals alongside covers from the likes of Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash, the Rev. Gary Davis and others.

There’s high-test bluegrass both instrumental (“Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag” with Billy Strings; “Precious Time” with Sierra Hull) and vocal, as when Emmanuel joins forces with Molly Tuttle and Little Feat with Sam Bush for “White Freight Liner Blues” and “Cajun Girl,” respectively.

Jamey Johnson brings weepy, formulaic country on “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man);” Michael McDonald serves up soul of the blue-eyed variety with “Someone Like You;” and Raul Malo ends the LP on a weird, Lawrence Welk note with “Faraway Places.”

Being a certified guitar player, Emmanuel does best when collaborating with other guitar players including Jorma Kaukonen (“Another Man Done a Full Go Around”), Yasmin Williams (“Mombasa”) and Larry Campbell, who sings “Everybody Loves You” with his wife, Teresa Williams.

Richard Smith, Jerry Douglas, the Del McCoury Band, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and David Grisman also hop in the passenger seat for this up-and-down voyage with Emmanuel. Sound Bites found some legs unpleasant; others worth retracing again and again.

Your mileage may vary.

Grad card: Tommy Emmanuel - Accomplice Two - B-