JR Samuels – Hand Like God
Dear Life Records – 16 October 2020
I have championed the bold immediacy and magic of improvised music for years and Philadelphia based guitarist Jon Samuels‘ second album of solo acoustic instrumentals was just what I needed to hear right now. A set of ten pieces, some sharp little fragments and some more expansive and accessible tunes, Hand Like God is a beguiling and intimate set that will perhaps bemuse a few listeners but will also undoubtedly delight many, with its precise and intriguing playing. This is a fascinating and dynamic half an hour of music.
There are so many little natural details audible when you listen closely to this music that seem to enhance the playing itself further. On Yeoman and Mathilde, a sparkling slowly played and disparate number, the birds can be heard in the background (the album was recorded in an enclosed porch during one afternoon) and towards the end, Samuels is barely heard softly chanting over the notes. It is instrumental music at its simplest and yet it still carries a distinct, ethereal charm. More abrupt is opener Doomer, which brings to mind Bill Orcutt’s acoustic playing, with sharp scales and string bends creating plenty of edges. Ezekiel’s Wheels is less aggressive, but a persuasive, repetitive strummed pattern varying in intensity as it goes on still has an air of anxiety about it.
Further on, Sweetie Man Whiskey is lovely, a quieter song with a gentle questioning refrain at its core and just a hint of Fahey, perhaps Uncloudy Day, running through it. Your Golden Ass is another delight, with patient spacious playing bringing in subtle string bends and harmonics to create an image of sun rays piercing through a forest. This is music abstract enough to invite interpretations and yet strange enough to jolt one from a reverie. Take the title track; Samuels’ restrained and clear playing pauses near the beginning to allow a motorcyclist to come roaring past, before continuing calmly as it was. Reminiscent of Daniel Bachman’s Sycamore City from his album The Morning Star, it is a simple interruption and certainly unplanned in this case, but it’s a beautiful touch (you can almost see the guitarist’s patient smile) that enriches this simple music and accentuates its immediacy.
A Hand Like God is possibly the pick of the bunch, but I think Wack Sentiment deserves a mention. A self-deprecating title hides a pretty little song that does indeed evoke a certain shy awkwardness through slightly bent strings and muted notes. It’s a clever musician who can weave such a human image through sparse improvised playing, but Samuels is clearly one such player and this small, cohesive and unassuming album contains multitudes of such touches. A strange, quietly moving and powerful set that is wonderfully played, I’m delighted to have come across Hand Like God.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://dearliferecs.bandcamp.com/album/hand-like-god