Guy Forsyth

Longtime leader of Austin's Asylum Street Spankers, Guy Forsyth might be too versatile for his own good. His latest solo effort, Love Songs: For and Against, features sturdy blues and reggae grooves, along with touches of folk and jazz. Forsyth's an excellent player, but he doesn't have to work so hard to prove his flexibility. When he relies most heavily on his acoustic blues base, as on the poignant "When It All Comes Down," Forsyth is so naturally in his element that one wonders why he deviates into other genres at all. "Long Long Time," the new single, and the album-closing "Shake It in a Circular Motion" both play to Forsyth's strengths: intelligent lyrics and killer choruses wrapped around chunky, bluesy riffs.