Jack Kid is an excellent singer-songwriter, and Espresso Ecstasy is proof. The thirteen songs on this CD are varied, but together make a distinctive whole in the modern folk tradition.

Kid's voice and guitar are the centerpiece here, sometimes accented with other instruments and musicians. This was a good decision, since it focuses our attention on the songs themselves. The album's pacing works very well, too. I'm sure it was difficult to arrange songs with such an emotional variety into a coherent whole, and Kid did a good job here.

I liked Kid's livelier songs best. "Pollyanna Hannah" sounds like a traditional folk song in many ways, clearly inspired by "Oh, Susannah" and other semi-nonsense songs that play on a girl's name. Kid adds a touch of Dylan in the choruses. "Flu Blues" is another great one, an almost traditional blues song about catching the flu from his girlfriend.

"Move Washington, D.C." suggests that politics might be better done in the middle of the country, in a way that reminds me of some of the Austin Lounge Lizards' work -- a high compliment, since they're one of my favorite groups. "Omaha Cha Cha" is another tongue-in-cheek compliment to the Midwest with a similar sound. "New Year New England" is more gentle, a touching winter love song. "Day Lily Rag" is also quiet and lovely, with slow-paced ragtime tones and sequences.

Kid also sings about tragedy. "Ghost in the Family" tells how an accident can haunt generations, and "Lockerbie" mourns the Pan Am flight 103 crash. It's followed by "Once Around," a touching tribute to a friend who died.

The title track, "Espresso Ecstasy (Rave On)," was the least successful song on this album, I thought. It's about the rave scene as much as it's about anything, and does include some clever wordplay. The problem lies in the arrangement -- it needed an element of electronica that the acoustic instruments just don't provide.

I appreciated the full and readable lyrics to all the songs in the notes. The full-color artwork displayed an interesting use of digital image manipulation, to make photographs look like plausible pastel renderings.

I like this album a lot, and look forward to hearing more from Jack Kid. If you like modern folk and good songwriting, check out Espresso Ecstasy -- I think you'll be glad you did.

[ by Amanda Fisher ]
Rambles: 3 November 2001