My Favorite Things

Avant-garde percussionist and vocalist David Moss puts his vocal antics front and center on this ten-years-after follow-up to his debut solo session, Terrains. Moss pays tribute in his own inimitable and bizarre way to the music that has touched him. Influences range from free jazz pioneer Albert Ayler to pop crooner Tom Jones, from African Cheb Khaled to J.S. Bach. Regardless of the material, it all gets run through Moss' improvisational blender. Courtesy of overdubbing, Moss sounds like he's possessed with multiple personalities, and each personality seems to be suffering from Tourette's syndrome. Voices pop in and out of the mix, squawking and wheezing, sometimes squeaky, sometimes stentorian. The result is often, as on "Delilah" or "For JB," his nod to James Brown, a kind of rambunctious musical cartoon. A few tracks are more restrained. "Stolen" showcases his innovative use of steel drum, which he meshes seamlessly with his voice. His set drumming comes to the fore on "In a Silent Way" and "My Favorite Things." The striking choral version of samba "Poder de Criação" is moving, while "About 3 Little Fishes" hints at an early influence of hip-hop. All total up to a striking collection of covers done in highly unlikely fashion.