A few months after his 2016 announcement that he was putting
Giant Sand
on hiatus,
Howe Gelb
released
Future Standards
, a collection of low-key, jazzy tunes for piano and voice. While it didn't take long for
to re-emerge with 2018's
Return to Valley of Rain
,
Gelb
appears to be committed to a more subdued approach as a solo artist, and 2019's
Gathered
is cut from cloth very similar to
. While the title refers to the fact these tracks were recorded at a variety of times and places with different accompanists,
is consistently steeped in a relaxed, late-night mood, with
half-singing, half-whispering his lyrics through the smoky grain of his instrument.
duets with
M. Ward
on a cover of
Leonard Cohen
's "A Thousand Kisses Deep," and
's performance beautifully recalls the rough yet seductive spirit of
Cohen
's original, possessing much of the same charm and a very similar resonance.
may sound laidback here, but he's clearly committed, and the full-bodied charisma of his delivery and the witty, often impressionistic wordplay of his lyrics is made to order for the late-night mood of these arrangements.
also brings aboard some worthy collaborators on this album, including the iconic French actress and singer
Anna Karina
and less famous but similarly gifted vocalists
Kira Skov
and
Pieta Brown
(the latter on a tune called "Gathered," written for the wedding of the son of
's late musical colleague
Rainer Ptacek
).
even makes it a family affair by letting his daughter
Talula Gelb
take the lead vocal on a lovely rendition of "Moon River." Even though
is very much a creative patchwork, it coheres thematically as well as musically, and sounds both sly and sincere.
's evolution from the most distinctive roots rocker in the desert to Arizona's most unlikely lounge singer is coming along nicely, and
is a welcome addition to his catalog. ~ Mark Deming