CLAYTON BYRD GOES UNDERGROUND

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White’s musical rhythms enhance the author’s lyricism. His soft tones express the intergenerational tenderness between Clayton and his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. They share a passion for music and the routine of a nightly story as Clayton drifts off to sleep. All that changes when Clayton wakes to discover that his grandfather has died. Clayton’s mother’s difficult past has left her no affection for the blues, or her father. She rids their home of the records and guitars that were intended for Clayton. In trouble at school and miserable at home, Clayton runs away, seeking musical connection. Instead he finds trouble that brings everything to a climax. Lazarre-White’s even tone captures Clayton’s circumspect temperament. His occasionally dissonant emotional notes reflect Clayton’s quiet grief in a way that is honest and poignant. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2017]