Guitarist/bassist Elliot Sharp has released, oh, maybe 9,000 albums of experimental music with the likes of Zeena Parkins, Eugene Chadbourne and a slew of other exceptionally interesting inbreeders. Here, for the second time (the first was Terraplane), he steps outside the Twilight Zone to present a disc of blues-influenced music. Esther is associated with the Black Rock Coalition, a fine organization of jazzers and rockers dedicated to better marrying both musical styles. She sounds far more like sleek jazz singer Cassandra Wilson than any blues shouter, which is certainly no criticism. Sharp's dirty blues on "Junky Heaven" is a deserved slap in the face of everyone believing those who play noise can play nothing else. Pretty cool to be able to sign your name E#. Dave McElfresh