The Blue Jordan Sound

Wolfenberger's songs, Cincinnati musicians set standard

Local singer/songwriter David Wolfenberger is back with  he follow-up to 1999's Tales From Thom Scarecrow, a highly personal and very local project (this must be the year's top release in terms of Cincinnati name checks).

Mr. Wolfenberger's discs define the "Blue Jordan" sound, the sophisticated mix of folk, pop, classical and jazz textures. His voice ranges from a high approximation of Neil Young (most notably on his piano-vocal finale, "From a Field, July 1975" and his World War I song,  "'Til April's Gone").

"Bury Me At Ivesdale" looks back to his childhood in "these Cincinnati hills". But he also gets topical, singing about the struggles of World War II veterans in "Halfway 'Round the World" or the death of Jeffrey Dahmer in the galloping country-rocker "The Blade It Cuts Both Ways."

Both songs are bolstered by the pedal steel of Ken Holycross, part of a crack band (most of whom will be playing tonigh's CD release party at Sharon Wood's Heritage Village)- guitarist Dave Eberhardt, bassist Greg Hansen and drummer Josh Seurkamp, singer Rene Frye (now sidelined with injuries from a car accident), and singer/oboist Margie Landgrave.

There's a casual feeling to this disc, as if Mr. Wolfenberger simply collected some songs and performed them with some talented friends, the only connection being that he wrote them. Its a worthy effort by one of the region's best singer/songwriters, one who remembers where he came from.

-Larry Nager, The Cincinnati Enquirer