Solid, like the Liberty Bell. Call him a jazz bassist, but Todd Sickafoose also plays piano, vibes and more on this post-genre outing. The sprawl also includes two guitarists, two drummers, four horns, a violinist who whistles and Ani DiFranco making weird textural noises on two tracks. Sickafoose, trumpeter Shane Endsley and drummer Allison Miller are all DiFranco collaborators, so her indie-acoustic vibe crops up. So does the wobbly Americana of Bill Frisell, notably on "Pianos of the 9th Ward" and "Barnacle." The crafty orchestration, ambiguous meters and sweet-sour melodies amount to virtuosity of an unassuming sort. - by David R. Adler
Philadelphia Weekly
June 2008
