Critic's Review
Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
Nylon string fingerpicker Duck Baker has a world of his own musically; there is no one that plays the material he does quite like he does, and as far as getting a sound like he does out of a guitar, nobody even comes close. This difficult-to-find German edition is pretty much an essential Baker item as the program is made up totally from his original tunes. As a composer of guitar tunes, many in a jazz vein, he is again a real individual, and as far as influences go, it would be enough to say that he has the right ones. Recording quality is superior, as is the pressing. If all that isn't enough, there are liner notes by British fingerpicking legend John Renbourn, no doubt one of Baker's heroes. There are plenty of Baker's most enjoyable musical aspects here. His rolling, frolicking basslines come as close as a classical guitar can get to a barrelhouse sound. And the choices he makes in the intricate arrangements he presents reveal an inquiring mind interested in pleasing the discerning audience.
