4-stars****
A travel theme runs through the tunes on "The Road Home," most of which progress at a fast pace, anchored by Clipper Anderson's light, bouncy improvisations. This Northwest-based bassist's stellar debut as a solo artist covers a lot of ground, from Bill Evans' heady, complex "Twelve-Tone Tune Two" to the Portugese original "Esperancoso Destino" and soaring ballads like the title track, which was inspred by a stretch of I-90 that runs through eastern Washington. Anderson's light, full bass tone sings the melody on Rodgers and Hart's "Over And Over Again," include on the disc as Anderson's tribute to Paul Desmond. Anderson's equally full arco tone takes over on "Jimnopodie" by pianst Jack Brownlow. It was in Brownlow's band that Anderson started singing with his own voice, and "Only Child" serves as his official vocal introduction to the world.