-Branford Marsalis

Imagine for a moment an old dusty saloon, circa 1890's. Inside the peeling painted, swinging doors; Crosby, Stills and Nash are drinking a few glasses of beer. Over at the poker table, the Grateful Dead are partaking in yet another game and over leaning against the wall, Lyle Lovett and Gram Parsons talk about their last trip across the desert.

This scene is either fiction or an apotheosis of immense proportions. Although, after listening to John McGaraghan's debut album, "Lost Along the Way", one comes to the astute conclusion that there is someone out there that somehow has a crystal clear perception of this rundown saloon. Not only does he seem to have the vision; he has the wherewithal to produce it sonically. Recalling the halcyon days of "Workingman's Dead" and "Déjà vu", this in my opinion is the best album of the year, surpassing anything I have heard recently.

With the opening track, "Lost Along the Way", McGaraghan shows why he deserves this lofty praise. The track mixes folk and country elements perfectly. A weepy slide fills in the space between his vocals, while an acoustic guitar along with the drums keep the time. While the instrumentation shows obvious promise, it is only half the battle. Great music has to have strong lyrical merit as well. McGaraghan passes this test, with just the first track. Sure, the topic of love and the arduous path of life have been sung about hundreds of times. When it is done wrong, the end result is an irritably maudlin, narcissistic piece of music. McGaraghan eliminates such a plausible outcome by truly feeling what he is singing. His lofty, Lovettesque tenor leaves no question that he is singing about something he has experienced. The result is an unfeigned treasure of sound.

The next track, "In the Lee of the Stone", is the album's psychedelic track. It has a passing similarity to "The Wheel" and "Déjà vu". Lap Steel and acoustic guitar are the only two instruments on this track, and yet it never sounds too sparse. Lyrically, this is a masterpiece, containing Greek characters and classical tragedy. Via studio tricks, McGaraghan is again able to fill a song with lush three part harmonies.

After the psychedelic sounds of "In the Lee of the Stone", the album returns to the sound of its opening track with "Alone Again". There is a bluegrass feel to this track, probably due to the use of mandolin joined with the acoustic guitar. Lyrically, vocally and musically, the sounds of this song strongly resembles early CSN. Once again three part harmonies and lyrics about love abound in this track. Without sounding redundant, McGaraghan does a commendable job with a banal topic.

After "Alone Again", the album continues to wander through Americana. Each track distinctively original and well crafted. A few tracks found later that are absolutely priceless are "Shred of a String" and "Devil and I". "Shred of A String" is the album's darkest track. About life, death and meeting yourself on the other side, lyrically it is shaking hands with Gram Parsons. Instrumentally, it is one guitar all alone, thus creating a stark soundscape. The change is a welcome addition, creating a downshift, like "Black Peter" did on "Workingman's Dead". "Devil and I" is along the same lines as "Shred", yet it is a bluegrass piece, in the tradition of Bill Monroe and Appalachia (this album's Cumberland Blues if we continue that comparison). Overall, the song has the feel of an ancient fiddle tune, and once again sparse instrumentation (banjo and guitar), add a haunting feel to the austere lyrics.

While the songs are all amazing, one can forget the dumbfounding musicianship displayed. After all, McGaraghan, minus a few tracks here and there, played all of the instruments and sang all of the harmonies. Yes, he can play the mandolin, lap steel and guitar all with ability. When he doesn't play all of the instruments, his high brow friends Robin Sylvester (of Missing Man Formation), Matt Butler (of Jambay) and Ian Waight (of Oversoul) are brought in to take over the ornamentation.

Listening to this album is a delight for those that enjoyed the Grateful Dead's country/rock crusade. Overall, this is an auspicious debut for Mr. McGaraghan. It may not be too long before he is invited into that saloon to cavort a bit.