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**G. Love & Special Sauce

COAST TO COAST MOTEL

(Epic)

On his second disc, G. Love continues his devotion to the loose, unprocessed blues of old masters like Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. In a rock-and-roll world of velocity, volume, and mechanized beats, G. Love is bent on spreading the gospel of low-end acoustics. And there is something refreshing in the way his band rely on the rich tones of an ancient idiom and still manage to get heard on "alternative" radio.

Now if he'd only abandon his mission to come off as Dude from the (hip-hop) Delta, maybe the fun of the music could shine through more. On songs like "Nancy" or "Leaving the City," Special Sauce build up a funky swing that sounds pretty natural. On "Kiss and Tell," G. Love's affectations are easy to bear, since his band whip up such a relaxed, sweeping flow; on "Everybody," he lets his vocals ease into the gentle shuffle and doesn't try too hard to be something he's not. The disc's closing number, "Coming Home," proves that his singing can be genuinely wistful and touching. Against the strum of an acoustic guitar, he demonstrates the value of true simplicity.

**G. Love & Special Sauce

COAST TO COAST MOTEL

(Epic)

- Amy Finch