Following up last year's "Strike Up The Band" is New Jersey troubadour Thomas Handschiegel, possibly better known under the guise of The Black 100s.
Once again, there's little beyond one nasally-affected man and his guitar here - which is fine. Handschiegel doesn't hang about. In fact, the undemanding nature of his music is what makes this album worth listening to. For example, "These American Blues" brushes lightly over those stereotypes that traditionally trouble US citizens. Handschiegel's guitar-playing is of the standard you'd expect in a debauched bar on a near-empty highway. Again, that's not a putdown so much as a truth.
"13 Blues" again exhibits the three-chord folksy simplicity that this album is built on. Nothing wrong there, if the foundations are solid. You are, however, left to wonder why the album is so empty as a little accompaniment might've led to the album feeling considerably less dry.
The Black 100s is a fine example of an act that, on paper, shouldn't work. So, in that respect, much credit must go to Handschiegel for taking on a difficult task and executing it to good effect. So, a good effort but one to improve upon.
Available from CD Baby.