Prodigal Son [LP]

Liam Grant - Prodigal Son [LP]

VHF debut and second widely-available LP by Liam, part of a new generation of underground ''American primitive'' guitar players serving the traditions and smashing them up simultaneously. Prodigal Son is a portrait of an artist on the road, changing fast, recording things as they spring from the fountain. The sound here is raw - grass and dirt instead of pre-fab; homemade/handmade instead of high-tech, etc. There's a visceral quality and immediacy of culture that's being lost every day in modern life - Prodigal Son is a chance to grab some of it back. ''Palmyra'' has Liam on weissenborn-style lap steel, the sound fuzzed out and distorted by the guerilla recording technique. ''Salmon Tails Up The River'' stretches out to nearly 13 minutes, a dense meditation on 12 string that sustains a dark and heavy mood for the entire duration. On the B side, ''Insult to Injury'' reverses the mood, with an elegant and unhurried 12 string sequel of deep beauty. Liam's unexpected take on Loren Conners' ''A Moment at the Door'' is a perfect translation of Loren's reverb-heavy electric drift to unadorned acoustic (and tape hiss) - a frozen moment of absolute grace. Wrapping things up is a take on ''Old Country Rock,'' with fiddle and banjo, just a brief taste of the barnstorming old-time sound of Liam's touring trio.