H-Om - Bingo

Bingo, side project of Kevin Richey, mostly comes across as a front porch Appalachian jam session. The old-timey arrangements are centered around acoustic guitar, banjo, and fiddle, and are put to especially good use on the traditional tunes "Walking Boss" and "Same Old Man." The banjo led cover of the Holy Modal Rounders' "Tea Song" is fabulous. Less successful are tunes like "Carolina" and "Tornadoes," which are sort of generic alt-country. The real treat is when the band employs faux ethnic touches to give the music a flavor all its own. From the beautiful pseudo-Middle Eastern instrumental "Keening," to the subtle sitar on "Sham Ba Q'allah," to the full out banjo/sitar workout "Zenith Raga," Bingo has forged a very interesting old-timey/world music blend worth investigating. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide