Legs to Make Us Longer is extraordinary guitarist Kaki King's second album, and her first for Epic's Red Ink imprint. As such, it reflects its major-label status in higher production values from cover art to exquisite sound. Produced by guitarist David Torn, the album also marks a step from King's solo guitar debut. The stunning yet soulful technique King delivered on Everybody Loves You is everywhere present, from her thumb-over-the-top basslines and tapping harmonics to extended, two-handed melodies. But some other things are here as well -- an upright bass here, a drum kit here, strings in various places -- adding more dimension and texture to King's trademark songwriting for solo guitar. The employment of drums and upright bass on "Ingots" is startling at first, but hardly distracting, as Torn's nuance and tasteful production are never intrusive. The tune is one of the most lyrical in her repertoire and literally sings with its midrange harmonics and colorful chording. On "Doing the Wrong Thing," skittering snares shimmer across the backdrop before engaging in a full-on counterpoint with King in a speedy yet wispy dance through motion and space, before cellist Erik Friedlander and violinist/violist Joyce Hammann slip into the mix at four minutes to take the tune out into the ether. King plays an electric guitar on "Can the Gwot Save Us?," in a loping, pastoral country manner that for all its slowness and elegance is more mysterious than anything else here. The album's final track, "My Insect Life," also showcases her in the company of bass, cello, and drums, and has her singing in a small, twee voice that is all but covered by her overdubbed acoustic and electric guitar playing. But it is very effective as an instrument, faltering its way through the skeletal tune and sending the disc off in a near whisper to excellent effect after a coda following an extended space. Ultimately, this is a step forward. While Legs to Make Us Longer doesn't contain the raw, dynamic immediacy of Everybody Loves You, it substitutes a wealth of diversity, warmth, and textural dimension to more than compensate. King is a major talent, an iconoclastic figure who is this era's only new voice on the acoustic guitar, even as she explores other compelling sonic and musical avenues. ~ Thom Jurek

Acoustic-guitar virtuoso Kaki King's sophomore effort improves on the dynamic instrumental compositions of her debut to include a wider range of textures, moods, and ever-evolving structures. King is also backed by a cadre of supremely sensitive musicians on LEGS TO MAKE US LONGER, and the cello, violin, upright bass, and drums add rich, complex color to King's already-sophisticated playing. Except for an electric guitar on the eerily quiet "Can the Gwot Save Us?" and King's under-the-radar singing on "My Insect Life," the spotlight is on the guitarist's stunning technique, which, even through its rapid-fire bass lines and ringing harmonics, never sounds flashy or forced.

Based on the meditative, space-filled opener, "Frame," listeners might associate King's work with the moody, avant-garde ambient jazz often found on the ECM label. The comparison is an apt one--King spins atmospheric landscapes from her fretboard, whether via nimble finger-picking (the spiraling melodies on "Doing the Wrong Thing") or the mathematical, push-pull patterns of "Solipsist." Regardless of her associations, King is a distinctive, accomplished musician. Her instrumental prowess is almost easy to overlook, in fact, because it is employed so artfully in the service of her hypnotic, nuanced, and lovely music.