Al Rose, the undisputed king of Chicago quirk, has taken a giant step forward on his second record, "Naked In A Trailer." Surrealist visions abound while Rose's backing band, The Transcendos, empathically match his slow, low, rise style. Uncompromising songcraft that haunts and goads, this record is filled with metaphors, signifiers and overt symbolism. On "Channel To Channel" the vapid, addictive evils of cable TV are described in frighteningly lurid terms. The personal crisis of a starving artist is laid bare on the title cut as he sings, "Could I make it as a tailor with a scissors and a cloth? Or will I be naked in a trailer with a gun inside my mouth." While Rose's lyrics demand serious attention and are always the focal point of his songs, the Transcendos' organic, instrumental accompaniment is just too strong to be ignored. Heath Chappell on drums and Steve Hashimoto on bass are as fine a rhythm section as Chicago has to offer and the harmonies of Laura Blye are no less than angelic. Yes, Chicago's visionary tractor man has tilled the songwriter's soil and unleashed his idiosyncratic folka-rocka-boom on the innocent masses. Not a moment too soon, either.
-Mitch Myers comeback@mcs.com