Jedd Hughes seems to have been on a fast track to record stores since he arrived from Australia to attend the bluegrass program at South Plains College in Texas a few years back, only to be spotted by
Terry McBride, who became his songwriting collaborator and helped him get a job backing
Patty Loveless on her Down From the Mountain Tour. MCA Nashville, conscious of the success of Australia's last guitar-playing export,
Keith Urban, then signed
Hughes up, resulting in a debut album at the age of 22.
Transcontinental is a tribute to
Hughes' guitar skills. It is full of fingerpicked electric fretwork that recalls
George Harrison stealing licks from
Carl Perkins. And
Hughes sings in a yearning tenor reminiscent of
Ricky Skaggs. Meanwhile, he and
McBride have shared their songwriting sessions with such pros as
Al Anderson,
Billy Burnette, and
Bruce Robison. Nevertheless, it's the songwriting that lets the album down. The songwriters haven't turned out typical Nashville formula work, but they haven't come up with anything really distinctive for the most part. The one exception is
Anderson's "I Don't Have a Clue," a lovelorn tune with a certain bite, but
Hughes is content to sing it without enough venom to make its wit land. A bunch of high-profile singers, including
McBride,
Loveless, and
Alison Krauss lend their voices in harmony on one song or the other, but their contributions are more notable in showing support than in really affecting the outcome. As a result, the album is to be enjoyed largely as a guitar showcase, and it certainly demonstrates that
Hughes has chops. ~ William Ruhlmann