Ghetto Bells
Vic Chesnutt has released a dozen albums in 15 years, and there's not many artists operating at that speed. However, Chesnutt warrants it; the pace simply matches his artistic growth.Ghetto Bellshas a powerful resonance that reveals itself slowly. A couple of seven-minute pieces are the heart of the album, both moving forward slowly, but ever so purposefully. One of them,  "Rambunctious Cloud," is further sweetened by the presence ofVan Dyke Parkson accordion (who appears throughout, on various keyboards) and a staggering guitar solo fromBill Frisell. It's a mark of Chesnutt's singular songwriting prowess that such a stellar band of disparate players came together, full of sympathetic invention, confidence and grace.-- David Greenberger