On their eponymous 2000 debut, the Tarbox Ramblers took an almost garage-rock approach to old country and blues songs, attacking them with an electrifying intensity that was true to the emotional spirit of the source material. The quartet takes a similar approach on the new A Fix Back East (Rounder), but this time singer-guitarist Michael Tarbox mixes in more of his own songs. He obviously has absorbed his influences well. From the almost menacing come-on of the lead track, "Already Gone" ("Come on over, baby, the light's always on"), the Ramblers do with the new fare what they did with the old: take you to a place that's raw, dark and at times otherworldly, with a couple of gospel interludes offering a few rays of light. A tour de force. Nick Christiano |