Planet Solitaire

Look for the release of Walter's second full length CD in late '10, the followup to the EP Planet Solitaire - a recording of ambitious performances that shoots straight from the hip, with the feel of an intimate live concert. His fine guitar explorations are right out front on this one. Here's a sampling:

1. Djimbaseh - mp3 (trad. W. African, adapted by W. Strauss from Mamadou Diabate's kora arrangement)
2. Ishi - mp3 (W. Strauss)

Pulling Shadows

From the creative depths of American fingerstyle guitarist-vocalist songwriter-producer Walter Strauss comes a debut solo recording, Pulling Shadows. The disc is a colorful and soulful journey through an imaginative range of styles and themes. Songs with African-leaning rhythms live next to laments from deep in Americana. Funky, sensual guitar abandon leads to a pastoral, almost baroque guitar instrumental, while a warped look into the human psyche jeers through a twisted Latin jazz piece. Featuring a diverse cast of musicians, Pulling Shadows highlights the creativity of Walter's approach to arrangement and studio production, while being decidedly rootsy and expressive.

1. In The Stone - mp3 (full song)
2. Spring Song - mp3 (full song)
3. Love Puddle - mp3
4. The Buffalo Song
5. Dust Devil - mp3 (instrumental)
6. The Beast - mp3
7. Like Water - mp3
8. Time, Peace and Honey
9. Spinner's Cascade
10. Blue Horizon

Musicians appearing on Pulling Shadows:

Walter Strauss (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, vocals), Rich DePaolo (bass, electric guitar), Bill King (drums), Mamadou Diabate (kora), Mike Ricciardi (drums, percussion), Andy Rinehart (programming), Rachel Tree (voices), Ken Laroche (flutes), Uniit Carruyo (voices), Robert Powell (pedal steel), Bob Carlucci (pedal steel), Gary Brown (standup bass), Misty Browning (voices), Rufus Cappadocia (cello), John Kirk (mandolin), Robbie Aceto (electric guitar).

Produced by Walter Strauss

Mastered by Rich DePaolo at Beta Blue