A Master Returns
Dave Holmquist | Denver, CO USA | 09/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Peter Lang, along with his esteemed label mates John Fahey and Leo Kottke helped to establish "American Primitive" guitar music as a serious art form. Lang's voice fell silent nearly 22 years ago, and suddenly from nowhere comes Dharma Blues a brilliant collection of guitar pieces. What can I say? It shimmers and sparkles. It is like he never left, which is amazing, considering the very long time since he last recorded. No one can beat Lang when it come to composing for the guitar. And when it comes to playing he is in the top of the field (No wonder Fahey recruited him back in the seventies!). I would disagree with the first reviewer, the sound quality has the same pure sound you find on his early recordings, clean and sharp. My only criticism about the album is having to wait so long for him to finally do this (Mr. Lang, please don't make us wait so long for the next one!).If you love acoustic guitar you'll love Dharma Blues . . . Guaranteed!"
The Return of Peter Lang
Leland M. Searles | Des Moines, IA USA | 04/17/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Peter Lang's return to the stage and to recorded fingerstyle guitar in 2001 was welcomed enthusiastically by numerous of us who have followed the Fahey/Kottke/Lang and country blues influences on acoustic guitar. "Dharma Blues" reveals that the creative spark of "The Thing at the Nursery Room Window" is still glowing, still able to burst into flame. (As Lang puts it on his postcard announcements of upcoming venues, he will "attempt to spontaneously combust" after his concerts. Let's hope that this is only a figure of speech.)As I write, Lang has an upcoming CD re-release concert in Minneapolis, MN, on April 26 (2003). I am looking forward to hearing his albums, "Lycurgus" and "American Stock," instead of merely hearing about them. Word has it that there will be an entirely new addition to his albums later this year. There is not enough excellent guitar in this genre, and I simply will not forage among the syrupy, sappy, sentimentalist New Age guitar to try to satisfy my cravings. Lang has so far kept his playing on the up-and-up. There is no artistic compromise in "Dharma Blues.""
Dharma Blues - Peter Lang
Thomas W. Day | St. Paul, MN | 09/11/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The good news is that there is a lot of really good, funky, semi-bluegrass, blues, old-time finger picking on this CD. Peter represents a significant branch of the roots of today's finger-style acoustic guitar music scene, along with Leo Kottke and John Fahey (who he appeared with on a 1974 recording). You'll find yourself tapping your toes a lot as your listen to the upbeat tunes on this collection. The mellow stuff is just a pleasure to listen to. Lang often ignores a few traditional restrictions like consistent tempo, in favor of playing with his heart and some humor. On the downside, his guitar consistently sounds very compressed and somewhat synthetic, which takes a bit away from the "down home" feel the playing tries to produce. It's fair to think of the tactic as a quirky, inoffensive, stylized sort of thing, but it's definitely not a traditional acoustic album sound. It's possible that I'm probably a stuffy audiophile purist and many listeners won't notice this at all. I can live with that.Peter ends the CD with a "hidden track" called "Spikes Bad Day," which ought to disabuse anyone of considering this a traditional acoustic guitar recording. Consider this fair warning. You'll be surprised."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1