Unstruck Note (Independent)

For a group claiming to be a three-piece, Loose Change Trio’s debut disc sure gets by with a little help from its friends. The jazzy opening cut “The Way It Is” alone features five guest musicians adding horns, keyboards, and girl-group backup vocals to a foundation of guitar, bass, and drums. Elsewhere, “Enough Said” finds vocalist-guitarist David Ward rocking his wah-wah pedal for a swampy blues riff before trumpets blare on its bright chorus. “Whether or not you like it, I’m here to stick around,” Ward cries out to a lover. The singer’s range is impressive, blending gruff, James Brown–styled catcalls and a breathy falsetto, often in the same song.

Although clearly most comfortable with the blues, Unstruck Note offers up a handful of varying styles with mixed results. The banjo-driven bluegrass of “Bone Glow” could give the Soggy Bottom Boys a run for their money, while the clanking, chain-gang vibe of “Headed Downtown” is the album’s finest moment. The spoken-word disaster “Not a Word of a Lie” misses the mark, however, as awkward piano stabs fight to be heard over the din of chatter and Ward’s aneurysm-inducing fake cockney accent. It may have its faults, but Unstruck Note will likely see a few quarters tossed at the Loose Change Trio.