Hugh Blumenfeld

June 6 - June 13, 1 9 9 6

** Hugh Blumenfeld

MOZART'S MONEY

(1-800-PRIME-CD)

This literate and eclectic folk and acoustic rock album, singer/songwriter Hugh Blumenfeld's third, features a baker's dozen of original compositions showcasing his songcraft. The title track is a clever novelty in which the narrator, a would-be artist of some sort, justifies his empty pockets to his wife by invoking a litany of poor, starving artists, including Poe, Blake and Mozart. "Waiting for the Good Humor Man" is a tender, nostalgic look at being a kid in the late '60s, growing up unaware of the great battles being played out on our national landscape. "Mr. Rain" is a moody appreciation of the late Kurt Cobain; "Main Street Sky" is a piece of Raymond Carver-style blue-collar realism.

Blumenfeld's vocals are thin, understated, and slightly nasal, suggesting a cross between Don McLean and Roger McGuinn. Aside from an occasional splash of blues, jazz, or art folk, his musical palette comprises classic, folk-revival-era colors and tones, and he's supported ably by Lucy Kaplansky, Gideon Freudmann, Michael Visceglia, and Mindy Jostyn. But in the end, Blumenfeld's narrative gifts are undermined by a dearth of melody.

-- Seth Rogovoy