Scrapomatic - Scrapomatic (2003)

Scrapomatic, the debut disc from guitarist/songwriter Paul Olsen and Derek Trucks Band vocalist Mike Mattison, contains a dozen tracks worth of lovely soul-blues pop. The disc starts extremely strongly with two excellent cuts -- a lively original titled "Moanin'" and a reading of Mississippi John Hurt's "Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me" -- that are augmented by an exhilarating cadre of New Orleans musicians. After that, the disc settles down a little -- just as well executed, though not quite as invigorating or original. Mattison is a great vocalist with fine control, never relying too much on histrionics to deliver his point. Lawrence Sieberth's arrangements are broad, containing a nice mix of voices -- trombone, accordion, violin, mandolin, and guitars. Like other releases on the Artists House imprint, the disc contains a bonus DVD brimming with extra stuff -- interviews, sheet music, commentary, and the like -- that potentially robs the disc of any artistic autonomy it might've had. It is a new form of presentation, not wholly musical, that seems to exist entirely for its own sake.