As a music lover, I find that I had a blind spot as I had never heard of the Bucky Halker or his music. This appears to be his seventh solo album. Wisconsin 2.13.63 is a jewel of an album with rich, beautiful high points. It opens with a jazzy number, Birdland Symphony, wherein jazzy violinist, Johnny Frigo, with the use of a xylophone, plays a major role producing great results. Further listening of Halker’s diverse American arrangements centers around the vocals, with lyrics such as: Gun So Small, a Mexican sounding drama thanks to Mariachi trumpets, as well as Ugly In That Frown, a rough rock song with nice, sharp, plucky guitar sounds played by Halker, himself in the lead. Halker writes diverse songs with intelligent text and entwines them in nice melodies, where the pleasant storytelling becomes songs that linger in your mind. Between the jazzy numbers, the Tex-Mex and the pure rock, we also hear some country music with a folky beat as well as some old-fashioned, beautiful guitar duets. If you like a variety of music written with intelligent verse and filled with emotion, you would enjoy this music. Take Fish On The Line, where Halker brings Robert Zimmerman and Frankie Yankovic together, and you can hear ‘What about that chubby guy named Buddha? He needs his feet off the ground, he needs a fish on the line’. Kortum: Intelligent text, attractive chuckles earned. Wisconsin 2.13.63 originates where the highways come together in the birthplace of Halker–Ashland, Wisconsin by Lake Superior. “I had to take the highways 2, 13, 63 and see what was out there’ – a beautiful starting place for this musician, Bucky Halker. (By Music Critic: Holly Moors; Rough English Translation by Ineke Roessler)