Lazy Eye

Nothing says jazz like a B3, and nothin’ says country like a pedal steel, so what is a girl to do when a band decides to mix and match them both? Everyone seems to be getting in on the “just little bit country” hay wagon these days, so it’s really no surprise that the trend is showing up in the jazz arena as well. J.A. Granelli is making music out of this timbral juxtaposition that sits quite comfortably in its own pasture (okay, I’ll stop with the country girl metaphors), cleanly avoiding the common pitfall in these experiments which results in something of a random pile-on. Maybe it works so well because “Lazy Eye” is a soulful, bluesy track, and there’s nothing as universal as music that sounds like it comes with a side shot of whiskey to help you through your troubles.

—MS