Assembly of Dust are kicking up a storm on their new CD with a lot of help from their friends. Assembly of Dust (AOD) was founded in 2002 by Reid Genauer and since then AOD has performed at a number of major music festivals including Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes and the Newport Folk Festival. Their first album was described as a "1920's dust bowl kind of blue-collar Americana". SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED is their sophomore release and deals with more contemporary themes and textures.

Some Assembly Required is spirited but there is a sad undercurrent that flows through many of the songs. AOD are obviously well respected based on the impressive list of guest players who appear on each of the thirteen tracks. "All That I Am Now" is vibrant and enriched by the robust vocals of Richie Havens. "Pedal Down" is an up-tempo piece about being down trodden and features Zach and Andrew Gabbard. "Cold Coffee" has a bit of a blue grass feel and David Grisman's mandolin adds to the melancholy mood of the tune. "Arc of the sun" with Mike Gordon is dreamy and spacy in sections. "Second Song" is a creative collaboration with Keller Williams. "Light Blue Lover" has a colorful lilt enhanced by Grace Potter and Tony Rice.

"Edges" is buoyant with Bela Flecks' beguiling banjo followed by the sassy storytelling of "Leadbelly" with Jerry Douglas. "Borrowed Feet" dances with bold base lines and gushing guitar grooves from John Scofield. "Revelry" with Martin Sexton and Tony Rice is rousing. "Straight" featuring Theresa Anderson is textured and thoughtful followed by the tantalizing "High Brow" with Al Schnier punctuating points about the ebony temptress. "You Lay The Dust" has Jeff Pevar on triple duty (dorbo, mandolin and fretless bass). It is a subtle, mostly acoustic number with religious references sprinkled throughout the song.

Some Assembly Required is a versatile record that is chromatic and filled with curious lyrics. AOD (Reid Genauer - lead vocals & guitar, Adam Terrell - lead guitar & vocals, Andy Herrick - drums and John Leccese bass & vocals) are polished players but the additional musicians add to the diversity and drama of Assembly of Dust's latest assemblage of songs.

• Info: -- USA/NY 2009: www.aodust.com (Laura Turner Lynch/SoundPress.net)