I love recordings like this.

More specifically, I love the concept behind them -- the notion of building a collection of songs that celebrate a specific place, person or event.

Following a year's research of the historic whaling center and tourism mecca, Joe Flood released a 10-track disc celebrating A Troubadour's Tour of Historic Nantucket. It's a memorable journey.

The album was commissioned by the Nantucket Historical Association, which was looking for new ways to spotlight the historic sites on the island. A timely performance on Nantucket by Flood -- a Connecticut native -- led to this musical collaboration.

Some songs are serious, others more whimsical. One of my favorites is based on the legend of Ichabod Paddack, a whaler who was swallowed by the unbeatable Crookjaw and found the devil and a mermaid playing cards for him inside. Others are inspired by sites on the island, including the Oldest House, the Fire Hose Cart House (a silent witness to the Great Fire of 1846), the Old Gaol and the Greater Light, as well as a linguist's efforts to bring back the Wampanoag language, a misguided construction project and more.

Flood brings it together with a voice that reminds me of something between a folky Bruce Springsteen and a rough Alan Doyle (of Great Big Sea fame). His blues-inflected folk songs are supplemented with layers of instrumentation: Flood himself on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, dobro and percussion, and Andres Villamil on double bass, plus guest appearances by Dave Cope on piano, Liz Grace on accordion and Scott Shuffitt on the Native American flute.

And, if I'm not particularly enamored of Flood's performance, I respect his intentions behind this recording, as well as his inventiveness in creating it. The album is, if nothing else, a public love letter from Flood to Nantucket, past and present. For that reason alone, a lot of people will want a copy of their own.

[ visit Joe Flood's website ]