Balsams cover

Balsams

Released

There is a tradition of pedal steel guitarists who abandon the world of country music to live out life in the land of pure vibes. Chief amongst this cohort is Daniel Lanois, who surfed a pedal steel onto the shores of silvery sustain. Chuck Johnson is another pedal steel cloud carrier, and Balsams is his most coherent statement. There is little here aside from the warm and icy sprawl of  strings, though the bass tones do keep things luscious. Johnson helps a small neighborhood stay afloat here with the hum of harmonic addition.

Sasha Frere-Jones

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