AZ SPINS
Kerry Lengel

Stumbling Off 6th Street
David Shepherd Grossman

The human-jukebox act that Grossman plies to perfection at live shows extends in many ways to his original work. While his spare, sweet voice can't help but recall James Taylor, there are moments in Stumbling Off 6th Street - melodic turns, vocal phrasings - that also echo Lyle Lovett, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Paul Simon and Nanci Griffith.

That's not to say Grossman lacks an artistic voice of his own, but instead of innovating, he prefers to work within the finest traditions of the folk troubadour.

Stumbling finds the prolific songwriter in a somber mood. On the title track, gentle piano backs a humble ode to the down and out, while wistful country-folk sets the mood for Annie Don't Know (''She don't know what it's like to cry / 'Cause she's crying all the time'').

The arrangements are consistently restrained but evocative. On Leaves, Paul Bedford's crisp blues lead on electric guitar perfectly complements Grossman's insistent acoustic riffing, while Tommy Blue's pedal steel on Annie and Darkness drifts hauntingly in the background. On this carefully polished album, less is definitely more - more subtlety, more depth, more beauty.