A lot has been made of Entrance’s "reinvention" of the blues as offered on Wandering Stranger, the artist’s sophomore album. After careful consideration, though, I’d have to offer that Entrance - the alter ego of singer/songwriter Guy Blakeslee - doesn’t reinvent the blues form as much as he deconstructs the genre for a new audience and era.
Reinventing the Blues
This is no mean feat, considering the number of mutant blues bands wandering the current musical landscape, each with a singular vision and interpretation of the genre. Wandering Stranger walks a fine line between tribute and triviality, however, Entrance managing this tightrope act with some craftsmanship and luck, emerging from the last song with dignity and artistic credibility intact.
Wandering Stranger
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Wandering Stranger is the excellent pairing of performance and production. Many of the current alt-blues bands strive for an authentic, i.e low-fi, no-frills sound that eschews modern production in favor of a raw documentation of the songs. Entrance takes it one step further, Wandering Stranger managing to sound like a battered old vinyl record with dirty grooves played by a worn needle. Blakeslee’s high-pitched, unsteady vocals sound like they were channeled from an old 78 with chipped shellac. This winsome vocal delivery allows Entrance to project a high-lonesome sound akin to great bluesmen like Skip James or Charley Patton.
It is in the shadow of the aforementioned blues giants that Entrance softy walks, masterfully weaving traditional blues songs like "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor" and "Honey In The Rock" in between original tunes that manage to capture the spirit and energy of the Delta. It is a measure of Entrance’s talent that his original material evokes the same memory and texture as his covers, Blakeslee bringing a post-modern aesthetic to his performances.
Cleverly mixing antique-styled, fractured acoustic guitar with off-key chords, touches of psychedelic experimentation and odd rhythmic signatures, songs like the rollicking title cut, with its crystalline guitarplay; a lengthy and somber cover of the traditional "Darling;" and the tragic, epic "Lonesome Road" push the boundaries of blues and blues-rock.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Wandering Stranger demands more than a casual listen or two for the album to begin revealing its secrets. Multi-layered, complex and challenging, it is a musical experience that grows on you with repeated spins. A thoroughly interesting and enigmatic artist, by mixing something old and something new, Entrance has seemingly accomplished what many others (Jack White and the Black Keys included) have fallen short of doing - creating a new blues sound befitting the new millennium. (Fat Possum Records)
