Acoustic Vagabonds (Acoustic Version)

Album review

The title tells the story on this EP -- here former Jayhawks leader Gary Louris performs six songs from his solo debut Vagabonds, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. These solo performances don't bring much that's new to these songs, but given how good Louris' songwriting was on Vagabonds, that's no insult; accompanied by a full band, they were compelling stuff, and Louris makes them work nearly as well with just his voice and a six-string. The emotional intimacy of "We'll Get By," "To Die a Happy Man," and "She Only Calls Me on Sunday" suits the spare interpretations on this EP just fine, and while these tracks often sound as if they're little more than demos, they're good demos of very good songs, and Louris' strength as a vocalist truly shines on this disc. Acoustic Vagabonds is a casual but pleasing set that will certainly satisfy anyone who has a taste for Louris' music, though they ought to give Vagabonds a spin before moving on to this supplement.

© Mark Deming /TiVo