4 out of 5

Label: Secretly Canadian

Producer: Michael Krassner

Jason Molina had several styles of acoustic-y folk-y singer-songwriter-y material under the Songs: Ohia moniker, most of the albums identifiable as falling under a particular feel.  Whether its the angsty, struggling nature of his early work to the dour folk of Lioness, or the ambient exploration of emptiness of later Ohia releases… each record would bear Molina’s signature Neil Youngish nasally vocals, more or less rounded or paced to suit the sound, and a characteristic strum and reverby sound to the guitar which made you know who was behind the whole affair.  Axxess & Ace was a highlight over the course of things for the way it bridged the gap between a lot of these styles, released, appropriately, at the end of an era – the 90s – and as a marker between old Ohia and a new, more mature Ohia on what would follow.

Though this makes ‘Axxess’ the best Ohia sampler, it is prone to Molina’s songwriting excesses – songs that seem to wander lyrically to no centralizing effect, taking away the momentum of what are initially great tracks – see ‘Captain Badass’ – and his all acoustic affairs are appealing if that’s your bag (like Iron & Wine gentleness), but without the passionate vocals of something like opener ‘Hot Black Silk’ or the added intense quiet of the ‘Didn’t It Rain’ material, the Ohia tracks of this style (which the latter half of the album drifts toward) tend to blend together to me.

But note the four stars – the album is still packed with so much striking material that it deserves to sit high on the folk singer-songwriter pile.  The addition of some strings (assuming, courtesy, of Boxhead Ensemble), Edith Frost’s supported vocals on a track, and some interesting electronic happenings in the background help to give the sound variation and feel fully incorporated with the songs – not just guest spots, but inspired by the music, which is supported by the Allmusic review mentioning that the other players heard these tracks for the first time on the day of recording.  And when focused by a good drum beat – see ‘Love & Work’ – Molina can rock out some of the best lyrics and themes for some madly memorable 3 minute tunes.  Start here, then explore.