Ross Hammond - Batch 8 (2023)

Ultra-productive guitarist Ross Hammond never goes more than a few months before putting out new recordings. Batch 8 is yet another set of performances in intimate settings, but also a marked departure from the free-form country folk and blues sets he’s tracked using primarily acoustic guitars.

This time, electricity and technology play a bigger role as Hammond functions as a one-man band. There are some electronic parts to it (such as the drum tracks and some bass parts), but the jazzy lead guitar is as organic as the produce at Whole Foods. Further, stripped-down arrangements are a reminder of the DIY spirit that carries over from the experimental Appalachia stuff that’s taken up the lion’s share of his output the last several years.

Hammond calls Batch 8 “stripped-down groove music,” songs which are simple riffs that serve as the stage for the guitar performances. The simplicity of the programmed beats, synth bass lines and those riffs actually serve to put the guitar front and center. Hammond isn’t in shredding mode, he kicks back and effortlessly unspools tasteful licks.

Nothing gets much more intense than the chilled Appalachian pieces until we reach “Trainwreck” eight tracks in, and even that funky excursion is more of head-nodder than a call to the dance floor. A few tracks do have some interesting complexities, such as the unusual percussion and guitar/lap steel backing to “Wolflike,” or the dual, harmonizing leads at the start of “Clinicians” and “I’m Not Big But I’m Wirey.”

As if to almost underscore that these are handmade recordings, each of them end rather abruptly, suggesting no editing is applied. This is the raw, unfiltered stuff, removing all barriers between artist and listener. Whether it’s solo acoustic guitar or stripped down groove music, that’s just how Ross Hammond rolls.