Without having met guitarist James Kerridge, it’s fair to say, judging from his debut album, James Kerridge & Friends, that he a pretty easy-going guy. The album is 35-minutes of blissful acoustic guitar playing. Though it’s easy-listening from front to back, you can hear a range of styles mashed together. He and his friends are often dancing around the borders of jazz guitar, flamenco and acoustic pop.

It’s an all-instrumental affair here, sometimes begging for a vocalist to take the album to the next level. Not that the music is unfulfilling, but his style reminds me of a Seu Jorge or a Jose Feliciano like.

“Lacamas Lake” will touch home for some. “Brewpub,” however, suits my fancy a little better, as it draws some contrasts between bar rock and rugged, mountainous melodies. It’s quite impressive how his song titles match the instrumentals so well.
Kerridge can be heard every Friday and Saturday evening at Applewood Northwest Bistro, and plays alongside Jon Hecox on Thursdays at The Grind Coffeehouse (I’m guessing Hecox plays some accompanying guitar on the album). James Kerridge and Friends is available from www.cdbaby.com, iTunes, or (probably) at his live shows.