Danny Kroha - Angels Watching Over Me (2015)

As a mainstay on the Detroit music scene for over thirty years, Danny Kroha has consistently pushed himself to reinvention. As founding member of garage legends the Gories, he's influenced countless imitators and poseurs. His axe work with Rocket 455 is the most quintessentially ''Detroit'' rock and roll this side of the MC5. And his turn as a pastied playgirl in the Demolition Doll Rods proved that even in drag, he was undeniably solid. So with his first full-length release under his own name, it may come as an unexpected turn that he's dealing in classic gospel and folk songs. Playing every instrument himself, spanning guitar, banjo, baritone dulcimer, diddley bow, washtub bass, jug and mouth organ, the end result is a collection of compelling, timeless traditional songs. Angels Watching Over Me is the real deal, seeming that it could've been recorded at any time over the past 70 years. With this album, Kroha firmly establishes himself as one of the pre-eminent practitioners of a genre in desperate need of someone with his creativity and vision in moving forward the classic American art form.