Tom Tranchilla
and Buddy Allen
ACOUSTIC AUDIO-DACITY
©2010 Independently released
Review by Lucky Boyd
Co-founder, MyTexasMusic.com

Two guitars; some percussion; all instrumental; excellent.  That might be all you really need to know.  Tom Tranchilla, a Houston mainstay, has teamed up with Buddy Allen for a trip through acoustic guitar Heaven with a dozen fabulous tracks.  The album opens with an old Orleans hit, “Dance With Me” which is better than the original pop version because you don’t have to listen to any compressed, over-produced singing.  It’s just the music you loved about that song anyway.  Don’t be afraid to sing along, though.  “Deep River Blues” keeps the feel of the album going and your toes tapping.  Tranchilla includes three of his own tunes and the pair include two co-writes that aren’t filler at all.  One of the co-writes, “The Bell Chimer,” is probably the best cut on the album, featuring both guitarists in a simple and short but catchy tune that epitomizes the tone of the entire disc.  These two pickers didn’t set out to amaze listeners with guitar licks that would warrant viral videos and ‘round the world emails titled ‘You gotta see this.’  Instead, they set out to make an entertaining album that would spend the lion’s share of time in your player.  Mission accomplished.  This is a disc you can put in the player, press repeat, and get on with your sound-tracked life.  Allen expertly covers “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” but sans the song’s true intro, which I do wish someone would record and release.  There’s a bonus track that’s worth the price of the disc and any price would be reasonable for a ticket to see these guys perform live.  Until then, get this disc and hope they’re in the studio recording more.  Produced by Grammy-winner Ernie Wells, this is quite possibly the best album so far of 2010.  Entertaining; well arranged and performed; and like I said at the beginning; excellent.