Jack Rose “Red Horse, White Mule” (VHF)

Part of a collaboration with Jack Rose’s estate and Three Lobed Records to restore all of his LPs to print, VHF presents a new vinyl edition of the celebrated guitarist’s solo album, newly cut by John Golden Mastering from the original source material. This release charts an eclectic, more experimental approach left behind as his technique and compositions became more refined and deliberate on later works. Rose’s 2002 solo debut Red Horse, White Mule was a bit of an outlier in the underground gestalt at the time, coming just before the wave of releases from the new generation of Takoma/Fahey-inspired players. Strictly a solo affair, Red Horse balances the epic, side-long raga of “Red Horse” against a second side of shorter pieces, including the ragged slide style of “The Colonel’s Blues.” The compositions and performances incorporate the new and the classic with a rough-hewn charm.