Scott Helland's Brocade is a triumph of the artist's "keep it simple and honest" punk-rock roots invigorated by a decidedly non-punk array of musical styles.  Helland is in command of not only his primary instrument, the acoustic guitar, but also electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and percussion, as he gives his inspired take on American folk rock, medieval, Goth, and pop.  Perhaps this recording's finest achievement as an all-instrumental CD of three- to four-minute pieces is that it's both accessible upon first listen and yet continues to speak musical depth and thoughtfulness through repeated plays.  From the gently chiming harmonics of the acoustic rock "A Free Ride to the Sun" right through to the guest violin's caress on the unsentimentally elegiac "The People You Miss Are OK," Helland displays wit, taste, vision, and craftsmanship in memorable melodies and colorfully constructed arrangements.  www.scotthelland.com
- Dane McCauley

"My children are my masterpieces."  That women's magazine headline provoked a debate in a women's writing group I once attended.  Did motherhood mean not making art, or simply making a different kind of art?  With a toddler and a baby, lots of ideas, and no time to develop them, I felt ambivalent.  Ten years later, the trick to successfully melding motherhood and creativity still sometimes eludes me.  But for Motherlode Trio, a group of moms and musical artists, that void between caretaking and creating compels songwriting.  Stacy Labriola, Patti Pelican, and Terry Platz never considered musical careers until the most inopportune time - during motherhood.  But at a play date for their five kids in 2000, they started singing and never stopped.

They've performed their original, bluegrassy, rootsy, alternative folk and a capella songs about the joys and fears of parenthood in New York City and throughout the Hudson Valley - frequently to benefit good causes.  Their debut CD, released last fall, sold out its first 1,000 copies within six weeks, and their "Sometime Lofty Towers," a Shakespearean sonnet set to music, was selected for NPR's "Sonic Memorial" to those who died on 9/11.  www.motherlodetrio.com
- Susan Piperato

Over the last few weeks, new discs by kd lang, Patti Scialfa, Wilco, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have come across the transom for me to review.  Yet despite the big names and glossy PR packs, it is Ian Charles' third CD for his own EyeSee Music label that I keep listening to time and time again.  The reason for that is very simple, really.  Compelling songs like "Parallel" (where the Hammond organ snoodles alongside you to create a warm, meditative environment), the triumphantly lovelorn "(That I'll) Take With Me," the gospel-colored "Call It A Song," the one-two punch of the raucous "Chain Of Rock," and the quiet "Sky Open Wide," connect deeply with the listener.  Charles doesn't bombast you or tease you.  He sets his songs in the familiar dawn and dusk of the rock 'n' roll sound and, with a voice reminiscent of a young Greg Allman, he brings you into his travelogue.  Once enveloped you'll realize that, although we stubbornly cling to lofty self-delusions, our journeys are all one.  Ably assisting Charles (a West Hurley resident) are Eric Michael Lichter, Dick Neal, Peter Kazaleh, Mace Vitale, and Jeremy Lichter.  www.iancharles.com
- Mike Jurkovic