Stripping Cane is the second solo album from American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault

Jeffrey Foucault

Jeffrey Foucault is a singer-songwriter from Whitewater, Wisconsin. His 2001 debut album, Miles from the Lightning, won much praise from critics and helped to kick-start a career of tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Along the way, he has played with such artists as Greg Brown,...

, released in 2004.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, critic Jason McNeil wrote that "The thread that seems to hold this album so tightly is how Foucault paints a vivid vignette with simple turns of phrases, especially on the lovely toe-tapping "The Bluest Blade," a song that can't truly be appreciated after just one listen." David Kleiner of Minor 7th

Minor 7th

Minor 7th is an online magazine that reviews non-mainstream acoustic guitar music. It was founded in November 1999 by Alan Fark, who claims to have created the magazine with the goal of "enabling independent or under-recognized acoustic guitarists to receive more wide-spread publicity." The website...

 wrote Foucault's "sharply realized stories rise out of the darker side of the Appalachian tradition, murder ballads and lonesome love... the tunes are deep set in the sound of the mountains, stripped down front porch music just a mite rough: little flash, all atmosphere, finger picking six string, banjo, slide guitar, and mandolin fills... Because Foucault believes "what's beautiful is broken," "Stripping Cane" is relentlessly downbeat and almost relentlessly down tempo." Writing for No Depression, music critic Scott Brodeur wrote of the album "Musically, Foucault’s tunes bounce between the percussive guitar-picking blues of Chris Smither, the sparse songs of Greg Brown, and the acoustic playfulness of Leo Kottke... Lyrically, the songwriter’s plains poetry — he’s originally from southeastern Wisconsin — is filled with landscape similes and captivating tales of wanderlust and loss... Foucault is a bright young star on the Americana scene."

Track listing

All songs by Jeffrey Foucault unless noted.

1. "Cross of Flowers" - 4:21
2. "Mayfly" - 3:34
3. "Doubletree" - 3:15
4. "Stripping Cane" - 4:25
5. "The Bluest Blade" - 3:24
6. "Pearl Handled Pistol" - 4:35
7. "Northbound 35" - 5:08
8. "4&20 Blues" - 2:58
9. "Don't Look for Me" - 3:05
10. "Tropic of Cancer" - 3:55
11. "Lodi" (John Fogerty
    John Fogerty
    John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
    
    ) - 2:53
12. "Every New Leaf Over" - 3:57

Personnel

• Jeffrey Foucault - acoustic guitar, banjo, vocals
• David Goodrich - guitar, banjo, slide guitar, mandolin, drums
• Kevin Barry - lap steel guitar
• Peter Mulvey
  Peter Mulvey
  Peter Mulvey is an American folk singer-songwriter based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since the early 1990s, he has developed a strong national following in the indie folk/rock scene through his relentless touring and critically acclaimed albums. Starting his musical career in Milwaukee while at...
  
   - guitar, background vocals
• Anita Suhanin - background vocals
• Kris Delmhorst
  Kris Delmhorst
  Kris Delmhorst is an American singer-songwriter who is part of the Boston folk scene. She was involved in producing 1998's Respond compilation, a fundraiser for domestic violence groups, and it included her song Weatherman. In 1999, she released a live album with The Vinal Avenue String Band,...
  
  - background vocals, fiddle

Production notes:

• Produced by David Goodrich
• Mixed by David Goodrich and Mark Thayer
• Mastered by Bob St. John
• Design and photography by Jason Kruppa and Kris Delmhorst

External links

• Official Jeffrey Foucault website
• Signature Sounds Recordings