Invisible House

Liberation Prophecy
CALVIN CYCLE COLLECTIVE

Take eight of Louisville’s best musicians, place them in service to the unifying vision of saxophonist Jacob Duncan, and you have Liberation Prophecy, whose second album is marvelously eclectic. In concert, they can stretch out; in the studio, the focus is different. It’s song-oriented, incorporating influences from around the world and across many genres. Craig Wagner, who can shred with the best of them, is frequently heard playing delicate acoustic guitar, accompanying vocalist Carly Johnson, whose voice swoops and soars. Duncan composed all 10 selections, with lyrics on three pieces by Will Oldham, Greta Smith or Joe Manning. “You” opens the record with carnival fanfare and funky rhythms. “Fortress,” a horn section-driven ballad, veers into country territory with Wagner’s solo. And so it goes: Each song a unique gem, resulting in an album defying categorization.