Sky Like a Broken Clock Kelly Joe Phelps Rykodisc, 2001 Tracks 1: Taylor John 2: Clementine 3: Sally Ruby 4: Beggar's Oil 5: Flash Cards 6: Gold Tooth 7: Tommy 8: Fleashine 9: Mr. NY Go 10: Worn Out Buy it online Reviewed by Claude Lalumière	Kelly Joe Phelps' first three albums established him as a major new blues artist. Up until now, almost all of his songs followed the same format: solo pieces for slide guitar and vocals. His throaty voice, somewhat reminiscent of Stephen Stills', was a great vehicle for his thoughtful and poignant lyrics. And his guitar playing was nothing short of haunting. His fourth album, Sky Like a Broken Clock, is a departure from his firmly established style. However, unlike Alvin Youngblood Hart, another recent blues musician who first established himself playing sparse acoustic blues and then surprised his audience with the eclectic diversity of his later output, Phelps doesn't pull off the transition very smoothly. On Sky Like a Broken Clock, Phelps surrounds himself with a band for the first time. The resulting music is emasculated and smoothed clean of the rough edges that previously endowed Phelps' sound with its gritty authenticity. Like too many recordings, the new Phelps release feels like a producer's album rather than a musician's. There's an unmistakable tinny quality to the music that bespeaks much too strongly of the recording studio. Occasional fade-outs, always a questionable choice, uncomfortably punctuate Sky Like a Broken Clock's sequence of country blues songs. The instrumental performances throughout are static. Once the accompaniment is established, it stays unerringly on course for the length of each song, eschewing surprises, spontaneity and interaction. Even Phelps' own playing lacks any convincing involvement with the songs. As a result, even tracks that enchant at first -- such as "Clementine," which clocks in at 6:10 -- end up overstaying their welcome. Phelps's singing, much gentler and cleaner than usual, strives to please rather than convey the emotions of the lyrics. Perhaps here lies my biggest problem with this album: it is excessively polite and mannered. It is so careful not to offend or challenge that it consequently also fails to be exciting and memorable. These are, I think, good songs at the core, but the creative choices involved in the production of the album compromise the qualities that would have showcased their strengths. | August 2001 Claude Lalumière is a Blue Coupe magazine contributing editor, as well as a freelance writer, editor, translator and publishing consultant. He owned and ran danger!, Montreal's chart-topping mid-1990s alternative bookstore. His published criticism can be found on his Web site.	On Sky Like a Broken Clock, Phelps surrounds himself with a band for the first time. The resulting music is emasculated and smoothed clean of the rough edges that previously endowed Phelps' sound with its gritty authenticity.