Duck Baker - Opening the Eyes of Love (2011)

The current album is a masterly declaration of love, particularly to the jazzy influences in which the guitar, in the guise of a portable piano or even an orchestra, strikes Duck Baker's unmistakable tone between sophisticated, austere harmonies and sweet melodies with the potential for becoming catchy tunes. Whether casual 3/4 swing in Pharaoh's Army, unsentimental melancholy in Forget Me Not, fiery jazz-blues in Seven Point One, flowing melody arcs above rhythmically complex riffs in Contra Costa Dance or a profuse reveling in Celtic spheres (The Dodder Bank) - thanks to the unbelievable love of melodic and harmonic details and the virtually boundless repertory of grooves and rhythms, Duck Baker's compositions succeed in that rare feat of captivating from the very start and yet increasing in depth with each repeated listen.