Richard Burgin And Chris Cefalu - The Trouble With Love (Independent) An unusual one this - all the songs were composed by author and songwriter Richard Burgin, and singer-songwriter-musician Chris Cefalu is responsible for the performances. It’s a marriage made, if not in heaven, then certainly ‘round the back of a smoky after-hours club. Burgin’s words are an exercise is disenchantment and detachment, and Cefalu delivers the words with stark abandonment and hushed tones. The arrangements are for the most part shorn of frivolity; guitar and piano execute the minor tasks that are required, and Cefalu’s understated vocal takes up the slack. It’s almost impossible to pluck standout tracks from an album which is so tied up in mood and feel. Let’s just say that fans of early Tom Waits, Terry Stamp and John Howard should beat a path to it. www.richardburgin.net Rob F. Next