Don Sheldon & Mitch Barron, What Comes Up

(Self-released)

Don Sheldon and Mitch Barron have been playing guitar and bass, respectively, for years in a wide variety of northern Vermont bands. The two are also comfortable playing any number of musical styles, and on their first collaborative CD, What Comes Up, the two show their stuff in the space of 10 original instrumentals. For this musical adventure, Sheldon & Barron have invited a dozen fine musicians into the studio, including Jim Pitman, a world-class dobro and slide-guitar player from the Waterbury area, ex-Smokin’ Grass fiddler Patrick Ross, and keyboardist/recording-studio owner Chuck Eller. The groove ranges from bluegrass to Latin to soft jazz. Though the genres are easy to label, What Comes Up is full of strikingly original music. The only track that sounds too much like something else is "Madge" -- its guitar work and changes way too much like Paul McCartney's "Blackbird." Sheldon & Barron often play the cheerful sidemen on their recordings, letting the guest musicians take the lead. But it all serves to underscore the guys who wrote the music. What Comes Up is a rare item -- good for background and for intent listening, too.