Start with the voice. Grace notes and slides complement an effortless legato delivered with a touch of sandpaper. The resulting sound makes every song Erelli's own, and oh so easy on the ears. Next, consider the concept behind the Memorial Hall Recordings. It's engaging--even if the hype about it on the enhanced CD is less appealing. Recorded live (without an audience) in an old New England hall with incredible acoustics. Some originals from Erelli with the flavor of home along with songs from his favorite New England writers. A crackerjack band masterfully handling a range of styles in deceptively laid-back arrangements. The project opens with its signature tune, Erelli's "Call You Home," a loping greeting to the listener and the New England valley Erelli thinks of as a long lost friend delivered with a bittersweet nod to the inevitable goodbye to come. The lyrics are pure poetry ("The sky is open like a chalice/All along the river road/Where the patchwork field tobacco barns/Shiver in the cold") and so is Jim Henry's mandolin playing. And there's so much more. A freight train of a guitar interlude loaded with effects. A country waltz ("A Fine Time of Year"). A trio of Civil War tunes including "Blue-Eyed Boston Boy," a traditional tune hauntingly arranged with a reed organ drone; "Dear Magnolia" a homage to the Band; and one of the album's few missteps, a Byrds-like rendition of "Follow the Drinking Gourd." But, don't worry. There's also Bill Morrisey's "Summer Night" with lovely dobro work and tasteful accordion. "Devil's Train," up tempo country with some very hot guitar licks from Kevin Barry. "Ichabod," an atmospheric setting for lyrics by New England's John Greenleaf Whittier. And finally the inevitable "Goodbye," leavened with a touch of vaudeville. Eminently listenable and lots of fun.