ANOTHER MONDAY

John Renbourns' second solo album sets the tone for both his future Pentangle endeavors and his pre Renaissance and pseudo Elizabethan solo outings like Sir John Alot and The Lady And the Unicorn. Renbourn's acoustic playing is virtuoso folk-blues that is tempered by brief forays into psuedo early music like "Ladye Nothinge's Toye Puffe" and "One for William," the latter of which also features oboe. Future Pentangle member Jaqui McShee joins Renbourn on 3 songs but Renbourn's future preoccupation with divergent musical themes would quickly take over his desire to sing and with so much for him to explore in the near future, his limited vocal skills would never be missed. 4 stars

Still embracing acoustic southern blues and leaving his native British Isles folk as a flower on the wall, RENBOURN's selection of material on this second release is far wiser than on his debut, and his arrangements suggest further evolutions in this area. Inviting future PENTANGLE collaborator JACQUI MCSHEE for vocal support is a strategic coup and especially effective on the infectious "Can't Keep from Crying", and his accessible virtuosity bolsters lively instrumentals like "Buffalo" and "Debbie Anne". His acquiescence to DYLAN is evident on the lyrically sensuous "I Know my Babe". The best is saved for the medieval "One for William", a dare that the likes of THIRD EAR BAND must have taken up a bit later, with its surreal oboe floating over all. It's only a shame that it's an anomaly on this album. While "Another Monday" checks out at about 3.5 stars, its ability to improve upon any day of the week, let alone its overshadowing of most UK folk of its day, warrants both a bump up and a shout out.