Sky Like a Broken Clock
Since 1994, when he made his debut withLead Me On, Kelly Joe  Phelps has reinvented the slide guitar to his own specifications. This  isn't to shortchange his superb, smoky voice or distinctive tunecraft.  Still, it was his way with a steel bar and an open-D tuning that made  his listeners sit up and take notice, along with his tendency to  function as a one-man band. So his considerable following may be  distressed to learn that onSky Like a Broken Clock, Phelps has  not only forsaken his solo format but ditched the slide entirely. Has  the bluesy bard of Vancouver, Washington, gone commercial on us? Not in  the least. The band--Larry Taylor on upright bass andMorphine's Billy  Conway on drums--is agile and eccentric enough to follow the leader  every step of the way. Phelps compensates for the absent slide with  some elegant fingerpicking, particularly on such pentatonic beauties as  "Beggar's Oil" and "Worn Out," which suggest a less mordant,  Americanized version ofRichard Thompson.  And his singing has grown looser, whether he's slipping in and out of  his falsetto on the funky "Sally Ruby" or commemorating a lost soul in  "Tommy." A little more textural variety might have been welcome: the  ensemble settles into one melancholic groove after another, and the  dabs of organ and cello don't really change matters. For the most part,  though, this is exquisite, surprising stuff--and if Phelps's melisma  gets any smoother, he may be able to retire the slide for good.--James Marcus