This might be the first album for Benjamin Jason Douglas, but it sounds like a mid-career triumph. The usual first album eccentricities and nervous energy just aren't here. These are just assured, full-throated, bluesy wry waltzes.

Benjamin Jason Douglas First World Blues (Flour Sack Cape Records)

Douglas has managed to fuse Dixieland-esque rhythms with acoustic guitar-driven songs. Another critic has compared Douglas to Dr. John (for the vocal phrasing) and Tom Waits (for the almost maniacal iconoclasty of it all). I'm down with that. These songs rise out of the blues pool, but they are something else. And not what most folks might think of as "americana", either.

No, this hearkens back to the whole folk/classic rock fusion of the late 60s (the Band being a famous reference). Each song is a little masterpiece and stand alone almost perfectly. Together, this is more of a collection than an album, as Douglas doesn't stand still long enough to write songs that interlock.

That's an observation, not a criticism. If you aren't wiped after listening to this, you simply haven't invested enough in the effort. Douglas's songs are immediately inviting, but once enveloping your ears they simply don't let go. No one makes music quite like this, but I'm glad Douglas has given it a go. Easily one of the best albums of the year, no matter the genre.

Jon Worley