Kansas Acoustic Arts Association

Kansas singers/songwriters Mark Horton and Ron Land perform with bassist Tim Goodpasture to form Medicine Finger, a name that serves ably as the title of the trio’s first CD. It’s a full-bodied work of original tunes and expert picking.

And if the band sounds seasoned that’s because the members are longtime collaborators in both Medicine Finger and a previous band, the Whirligigs. The combo has Land on vocals, guitar, dobro and percussion; Horton on vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, accordion and percussion; and Goodpasture on upright bass with backing vocals.

Although songwriters Horton and Land have distinctively different styling, they blend well and, at the same time, provide nice surprises in and out of their evenly staggered songs. They also pull off some sweet variations on their leads and harmonies.

The CD starts with Land’s “Farther to Fall,” an irresistible tune with strong lyrics about appreciating what you have but fearing losing it all. His “Night Flyer” is another great song, a slow ballad about flying away from it all. He picks things back up with the happy and bluegrassy “That’s Sure Good to Know.”

Among my favorite Horton tunes are “Seed by Seed,” whose distinctive refrain is fun for an audience to sing along with, and “Barely a Whisper,” an intense reflection with fairly complex lyrics. He actually sings the word “syntax,” in fact, making grammar freaks like me glad to be alive.

I also like the street-cruising song “Safety Net” by Horton and Bryan Masters, another Wichita singer-songwriter who goes back with Horton at least to the band Stick Men. Then, in “Sky So Large,” Horton crafts a beautiful and showy piece for his instrumental skills.

Overall, Medicine Finger is a fine collection of original music that proves, once again, the amazing quality of the Kansas acoustic music scene.

One more cool thing: It’s yet another in the explosion of locally created CDs that are amazing in their professional production quality -- with production and engineering by Horton at his Cowpuppy Studio/Living Room; mixing by Horton, Goodpasture and Land; liner notes edited by Masters, and art and design by Patrick Duegaw.