The accordion isn't usually associated with the blues, but that may change with the title track of Eric Hisaw's latest, which veers from, but includes country. Austin-based Hisaw enlisted accordion legend Ponty Bone for several tracks. On the title song, Bone's accordion gives a plaintive answer to Hisaw's primal laments. It's just one example of the subtle layers of instruments used and a memorable example of musicianship that stands out on a CD full of stand out tunes.
Hisaw has a knack for combining a hook and a melody that makes his songs linger long after the CD ends. "The Nature of the Blues," as the title might suggest, is not the perfect CD to start a party, but it might be one for the end of a party, in the wee hours, when the conversations and drinking get serious. Then lyrics like those on the final track, "Last in Line," will strike a chord of recognition for most adults: "Blinded by love you do the damnedest things." In an age of downloads, Hisaw constructed an old-fashioned, cohesive album that works from the first to the last track, lucky 13.
