Sarah Louise, Ilyas Ahmed, Itasca
Recommended
As the reach and influence of American Primitive folk has continued to expand, a welcome array of female players has emerged in this often male-centric world. And one of the best new musical voices to appear in this scene of late is Asheville, North Carolina guitarist Sarah Louise. Originally a more traditional folk artist, she switched in recent years to play purely instrumental guitar music—to the point of stripping the vocals off of her 2015 release Field Guide—thereby allowing her appreciation of overtone and expressionist melodies to take center stage. Even better is her recently released entry into the ongoing Acoustic Series released by Vin Du Select Qualitite Records. On it, her 12-string playing spills out like a ribbon slowly unfurling from its spool, revealing many different shades and textures as it pools at your feet. ROBERT HAM