A tale of two recordings, and how USA markets musics
Peppino | 10/07/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Very simple to say, even the Amazon description of this great recording, (just now avaliable to the cd format), Mac Gayden is a "Nashville musician",and even the two cover art designs also not tell the tale.
Nashville has also a R&B tradition, as it is a USA river town, but "Opry USA" has been the stereotype for a long time, no?
Mac Gayden, fame for his "wha-slide" guitarristics, and was stalwart of JJ Cale's languid recordings..well, for lack of better way to say, "hippi white guy" (which pre-date the hippie redneck look of the country musics idioma which still exists today) give no indication of the musical styles contained within. A unique guitarrista, both with the medicine bottle slide , and fluid single line frasing (atrange enough, NOT a "bluesy" style of tipico southern rock guitarristas, but very thoughtful and melodic frasings!).
This is a cd 2X1, the first recording , "Skyboat" with the incredible abstract flying "buda" defines Mac gayden's "R&B" roots, and is my less favourite of the two recordings, it is an accomplished "southern rock/R&B" style that features his "hits", ~Everlasting Love, and the less known ~Morning Glory, and strange ineffective versions of Smokey Robinson (Dont Look Back) and Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions (It's Allright).
Solid, but for me, too much rock/R&B. Fans of Southern rock can love it, and I think he just as good with guitar as the famous Duane Allman, or that Marshall Tucker fellow, for ex.
The gem, in every sense of the word,is the second recording ~Hymn to the Seeker, a jazz/soul/spiritual excursion, with soaring vocals, (including Mac's sincere falsetto ,one of my favourite tracks, ~Standing in the Background is a more distinct homage to the post doowop styles of the Intruders, Chi Lites, etc).
The band is what they call "tight", a solid unit soaring to the stratosfere with inspiration.
Other tracks feature beautiful flute-istics and sassofone , along with well placed guitarra, solo and 'wha-slide', much more jazz influenced, even sounding at times in the "jazz fusion" moda, how the record label missed this fine musician and relegated him to quase-obscurity from labeling this as "country musics" is a travesty.
~The Minstrel is Free at Last might be the cornerstone of this release, from uptempo funk to introspective falsetto harmony bridge,, finishing with a ripping fusion-style guitar solo that seems a combination of southern rock style mix with the "jazzy", 10000 stars this track alone.
Heavily recommend, 10000 estrelas no ceu, starbound and inspired, and even some avante-guard banjo and more traditional "Nashville", but that far between the Muscle Shoals ritmo guitars, almost Jaco=like bass lines, and Mac Gayden's passionate vocals. (actually, the basslines are very close style to the syncopations of legend session musician Jerry Jemmott, or Rocco Prestia from Tower of Power.
Time for something "old", time to find it "New", a recording that could note even be made today, by tipico "record industry" standards, adventurous and diverse! Get this while you can !!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1