Dean Himes

Riverside

Independent

3 out of 5 stars

Dean Himes’ effortless guitar work on Riverside is restrained, refined and right-on.

The former front man of Dean Himes and Horseplay glides through soft finger-picks and cowboy strummings with ease on the 10 fairly short songs that make up the disc. Some of the songs, Himes has been playing live for years, and a few others were written specifically to flush out the album, which despite being a solo effort, sees Himes accompanied by many of his former bandmates. Some of the lyrics could be stronger, but Himes is first and foremost a guitarist and in that regard he excels on Riverside.

Lunada Cantina and Eatery – Lafayette | July 3, 17 and 31