March 2010

Erik Deutsch
Hush Money

By Bill Milkowski

Unlike 2007’s Fingerprint, this is no jazz outing. Instead, keyboardist-composer Erik Deutsch has artfully crafted layers of keys, guitars (courtesy of John Goldberger), woodwinds (Mike McGinnis) and bassoon (Sara Schoenbeck) into a bounty of appealing instrumental pop exotica. From the Bruce Hornsby-ish title track to the grungy tango “Black Flies” to atmospheric pieces like “Flytrap” and “Incandescence,” this is clever, wildly eclectic and ultimately rewarding stuff.