Summary: In thirteen new (and very short) songs, Walkenhorst has pared his already elemental approach to song arrangements down to a skeletal acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, most often played by his one-man-band. Harmonica is the lead instrument of choice, with the notable exception of a honking sax solo by Johnny Reno on “Jan Vermeer,� a Chuck Berry-style rocker about the great Dutch painter. The only lead guitar solo on the CD is played by Kansas City guitarist Jack W. Hayhow, Jr., on another retro-rocker, “J-Walkers,� about the first band Walkenhorst ever heard. Vocal harmonies appear on only one song, “Just Leaving.� From the sparse instrumentation to the early-’60s-style extreme-stereo production, the overall sound of The Beginner is as much about what has not been recorded as it is about what you do hear.
