Andre Ethier, with Chris-topher Sandes feat.
Pick-les & Price
(Sonic Unyon)
If you can picture the cover of Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes (an unsubtle take on the cover of Thelonious Monk’s Under-ground) you’ll get a good idea of what to expect from Andre Ethier’s (Deadly Snakes) first solo disc. It is roughly hewn, ragged and full of character, with nuances that emerge from its busy fabric. But it’s also full of emulation, and works best (“Let Me Put My Suitcase Down,” “Dear John”) where the Dylan-isms are blatantly exaggerated.
—Dave Hayden
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.