One of the first things that strikes you about
Howe Gelb's
'Sno Angel Like You is that
Gelb recorded this set with a gospel choir from Canada called
Voices of Praise; he called the project "Sno Angel" and they made this record called "Like You." Anyway, you get the idea; it's one of the Arizona desert dweller's typically arcane musings.
Gelb recorded this in Ottawa with drummer Jeremy Gara (now with
Arcade Fire); other musicians include Dave Draves on B-3 (
Gelb plays one too), and Fred Guignon, who plays a mean slide guitar on six tracks. There are no gospel tunes here in the proper sense. This is a
Howe Gelb record -- slippery, loose, mistakes left in, hummable -- but it's less quirky because the new tunes were written with the choir in mind. In addition to the seven new songs, there is a trio of re-recorded
Giant Sand tunes, and three songs by the late Rainer Ptacek, including his classic "Worried Spirits." The sound of this disc is spacious, clean, and live-sounding. The basic tracks were recorded by
Gelb and Gara and the choir was added later, and it feels spontaneous.
Gelb's voice is coming to resemble
Ray Wylie Hubbard's in more ways than one, and it serves him well.
'Sno Angel Like You feels like an album, though some cuts stand out for their grit and funky delight, such as Ptacek's "That's How Things Get Done," with its shambolic distorted guitars and over-amped bassline. "But I Did Not" is
Gelb's own attempt at writing a kind of gospel tune, though it comes off more as a gritty, rollicking blues. As treated here, Ptacek's "Worried Spirits" is a far cry from the spare, solo National Steel version that its composer recorded in the 1990s. Acoustic guitars get turned up to ten, the pace is quicker, and the B-3 low-note triggers are a killer effect. But the joy of
Voices of Praise is infectious, and they can not only tear it up vocally, but they dig into the feeling of the songs: they can offer a lamp in the desolation and darkness without cheap sentimentality. The tender "Neon Filler," first recorded on
Giant Sand's
Ramp, is dramatic -- even breathtaking.
Gelb establishes the mood in the first half, spinning out his poetic tale, and when the choir enters it's simply stunning and turns the song inside out, moving the sadness up just a notch at first and then transforming it.
Gelb fans have to be excited about this because it's perfect, a career high. And for those who don't know who
Gelb or
Giant Sand are, but want something "extra" with their sun-drenched Americana, this is just the thing. In fact, it's just the thing for anybody who doesn't have sawdust running in their veins instead of blood. [Fire Records reissued
'Sno Angel Like You in 2016, adding alternate versions of "Get to Leave" (with a stronger gospel sound) and "Nail in the Sky" (without the gospel chorus) as bonus cuts. Also included is the live disc 'Sno Angel Winging It, recorded live at Reading Town Hall in 2006. While completists may want the extra tunes and live disc, the real attraction of this package is having one of
Gelb's best albums back in print again.] ~ Thom Jurek