Album Notes

For his latest, The Trickbag, Stracener has assembled a stellar backing band, The Frustrations, and has delivered - and then some - on the promise of his debut.

Trickbag feels like a complete album with a brilliant, singular vision.

But that's not to say that Stracener's music is derivative of any trend; drawing from a number of influences, Stracener has crafted an album that's distinctly American but not exactly Americana, Southern but not exactly Southern rock, and pop-oriented but not exactly radio-ready pop.

There's shades of alt-country on tracks such as Diamond Round Your Neck, raucous power pop on Sky is Falling, Nick Drake-like folk on Moon Has Two Faces, and the Richard Thompson-style storytelling of Mobile Blues. Yet, somehow Stracener's pleasant voice and virtuosic guitar playing make these disparate style blend seamlessly.

Produced by Jackson native and multitalented Nashville-based producer Neilson Hubbard, The Trickbag features an all-star roster of Mississippi artists backing Stracener.

The Trickbag is one of those records that won't leave your player for a while, until you've absorbed every vocal nuance, every musical flourish.

With music this good, there's no telling what Stracener's bag of tricks holds for the future.

--Carey Miller, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS