Itinerant Arias

Christopher Paul Stelling's fourth long-player, Itinerant Arias, follows a period of relentless touring on behalf of his 2015 release, Labor Against Waste. It took the singer/songwriter/guitarist to 40-some U.S. states and over a dozen countries in the span of a year-and-a-half. The follow-up is informed by both the travel and some of the sociopolitical turmoil he witnessed during that time both at home and abroad. It's fitting inspiration for a folk-spirited guitar shredder, and Itinerant Arias does put the focus on message and song over showmanship. It's also his first album to feature a steady backing band (bass, drums, and violin), resulting in a slight broadening of the spotlight. While established fans may miss the more virtuosic acoustic picking of prior albums, there's no lack of fire and flair here, as songs like "The Cost of Doing Business" and "Stranger Blues" let loose on subjects like exhaustion, troublemakers, and the Devil. On the latter tune, Stelling wails, unrestraine