Huron Street
Canadian guitarist Don Ross is a multitechnique fingerpicker  who sits comfortably in the company ofPreston ReedandLeo Kottke.  Rerecording compositions from earlier, Canadian-only releases,Huron  Street's melodies arrive out of a confluence of folk, country, and  a dollop of classical sensibilities that keep things from getting  rustic. Alternating down-home grooves with plaintive ballads, he writes  complex tunes that roam like aJack Kerouacnovel. Although he fingerpicks, and has the whole two-handed tapping  technique down, Ross's approach is more rhythmic than most, with lots  of chordal strumming used to effect dynamics. It gives him a  hard-edged, linear sound that often seems more plectrum driven. That tack  wears thin over the course of the album, as he reverts to strumming to  keep the rhythm going instead of letting his melodies flow outwards.  The string bass on a couple of tunes definitely helps and is the kind  of lift Ross needs to separate himself from the acoustic guitar glut.--John Diliberto