I was a big fan of Curreri’s Songs for Devon Sproule. That record, produced by guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps, was a solo acoustic country-blues effort that took the form places it hadn’t yet gone, or at least not often.

On his new record, Curreri takes a band route. Things are quiet, and in some respects represent a time gone by. Banjos fill the air with the guitars, Aaron Evans adds atmospheric electric guitar, and the brisk-but-subtle snap of a snare drum highlights most of these. Paul’s guitar playing is very strong. “Drag Some Revelating” has a nice acoustic arrangement that almost has a ragtime feel. “Memory Makes All This” has gorgeous changes set to an almost march beat. “The Party at the House” has a lovely lyric with fine acoustic. For the most part, Paul’s guitar playing takes a back seat to well-written songs, but it’s up front on the instrumental “March Kitchen and What Was Said.” The song is full of wonderful chords and beautifully dissonant single-string bends. He does go back to the solo vocal and guitar only a couple of times, including on “You Will Look at Me.” It’s a perfect showcase for his playing.

This is a fine and logical followup to the last record. It gives him a chance to spread out with his lyrics and keep the music interesting, but different. For folks interested only in the hot licks, this one might disappoint. But a hard listen reveals lots of layers underneath. Paul’s a unique talent who deserves more attention.