Shosho

(Vol. 24 No. 3, Issue #270)

There's something comforting about listening to a CD filled with music that could have been created in any of the past five decades. "Days and Years," the debut CD by the Washington, DC-based folk band Shosho, is such a CD. Despite its exotic-sounding moniker, Shosho is actually a folk band, and its CD is filled with acoustic textures and honed-down arrangements. There are hints of bossa nova, exotica, and an occasional syncopated beat, but for the most part, Shosho sticks with a folk formula.

And why not? That formula has worked for decades and works for Shosho because it puts the emphasis squarely on singing and songwriting –– two things at which Shosho excels. The four-person band has been around for just over two years and is fronted by female singer-songwriter guitarists Tricia Khleif and Wendy Lanxner (who also chimes in on flute and mandolin). Rounding out the band is bassist Franz Kellner and drummer Bob Novak. The songwriting pair balances each other well: Khleif provides mostly humorous and political songs and Lanxner typically offers ballads and pop-oriented pieces. Both are fine singers that virtually always sound engaged with what they're singing.

Lanxner's ear-catching "Maybe" opens the CD with a deft mandolin hook and bouncy tempo. Khleif's "What's Left to Us" is an ominous, minor-key political tract that looks at both class inequality and war without mentioning specifics. Less subtle is Khleif's "Hand-Held Freedom," which boasts an anti-imperialism lyric that seems at odds with its jaunty waltz-time tempo and flute ornamentation.

Lanxner brings to mind Rickie Lee Jones with her jazzy vocal shading on the wistful, surrealist memory piece "Gotta Get At That Day." Even more wistfulness is expressed in Khleif's melancholy "Falling Down," which marries a beautiful acoustic guitar line to virtuoso fretless bass runs.

There are hints of influences here, and it's easy enough to feel the presence of Joni Mitchell, Indigo Girls, and Suzanne Vega on some of these songs. But Shosho does a good job of forging a distinct musical personality –– not an easy feat when working with basic instrumentation. During the course of these 14 songs they successfully fuse American folk music with progressive, world-influenced ideas.

The production here –– done by the band and Hyattsville's Tom Espinola –– makes the songs shine by leaving things out. The sparse, naturalistic sound is in itself bracing, because it's so rarely heard these days. Anyone who has thought that the massive compression used on modern CDs is overkill should wrap their ears around "Days and Years." – Tony Sclafani
- Music Monthly, March 2007

www.ideastations.org - George Maida, WCVE-FM

"I stumbled on these folks at a little club on my birthday this year, and what a perfect gift it was! Even though they were flatlanders, I knew I had to play them on my regional Vermont show. Thanks to Shosho for the beautiful vocals, thoughtful lyrics, knock-out stage presence, and acoustic rock musicianship second to none." - James Sharp - www.heavysyrup.net