There’s More Pretty Girls Than One

This four-piece acoustic ensemble consists of two Americans and two Brits who live in France. One of the Americans is the legendary comic-strip artist Robert Crumb: it’s probably due to his fame – and long friendship with Arhoolie boss Chris Strachwitz – that this CD is on a US label rather than being produced by the band and sold at gigs. Which is not to say There's More Pretty Girls Than One is by any means a vanity project. Instead, this finds Crumb and pals – fiddler Ian McCamy is band leader – striking up 17 old American tunes from the dawn of the 20th century. Some of the tunes they know from 78s by Uncle Dave Macon (‘Sail Away Ladies’), Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers (‘The Pig Ankle Strut’), Charlie Poole (‘Goodbye Booze’) and the East Texas Serenaders (‘The Mineola Rag’) while others they have learnt on the old¬time scene or assembled as a composite of several traditional tunes (the title-track is such). Instrumentation is acoustic guitar, five-string banjo, double bass and fiddle. All members sing in a throaty manner and the loose, good-humoured atmosphere conjured up makes this a fine party CD. Archaic music this may be but the tunes are almost all new to me – no standards when 78 collector extraordinaire Crumb is involved. My only complaint is that this time Crumb has not lent his extraordinary graphic talents to designing the CD sleeve.