Find My Way Back

Album Review

Since "The Sun Won't Shine On Virginia," the leadoff track on country guitarist Tim May's debut solo album, features his former bandmates from Crucial Smith — Kyle Wood, Chris Joslin, Dave Holladay, and May's wife, Gretchen Priest-May — and they are also featured prominently on other tracks, it's easy to feel that Find My Way Back isn't far from being another Crucial Smith album. But May is in charge here, singing on a number of tracks, some of which he wrote, and mixing in other musicians as he ranges from country to bluegrass to Celtic styles. He has a pleasant tenor voice with a Southern accent, but of course it's his flatpicking that repays the cost of admission, as he showcases a distinctive style on such tunes as the original instrumental "Miss Nari." Find My Way Back is probably more of a busman's holiday than the beginning of an important solo career, but it demonstrates that May is a talented picker who can also write and sing good tunes on occasion.