Growden, Mark – “Saint Judas” – [Porto Franco Records]

Americana: Mark Growden offers a breath of fresh air with his first studio album in eight years. His rich voice is backed up by himself on accordion, banjo, baritone sax, and handlebars (which sound strikingly like a flute), Seth Ford Young on acoustic bass, Myles Boisen on guitar, Alex Kelly on cello, Chris Grady on trumpet, and Jenya Chernoff on percussion. The mood is often somber and deep, but the tempo picks up and is reminiscent of the band that processes behind the hearse in a southern funeral (5, 12). Very homespun and honest.