Search - Steve Morse :: Major Impacts

More Than a Tribute Album

C. F. Kemp | Pacific Grove, CA USA | 02/07/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The thing I like most about "Major Impacts" is that the songs stand up even if you don't know Morse is aping the sytles of other guitarists. Everyone knows Morse is a great technician when it comes to playing, but his compositional skill on these tracks is impressive, even when--as in the case of "Derailleur" and "Truth Ola"--I have trouble connecting the sound to Creem and Jeff Beck, respectively. It doesn't matter.My favorite cuts are probably the last two on the CD, "Free in the Park" and "Prognosis". The first lays down a nice bluesy Allman Brothers groove, and the second is an intricate Prog Rock sendup of (mostly) Yes and (a little) Kansas. Listen carefully, BeBop Deluxe fans, and you might hear one or two Bill Nelsonesque glissandos. Great stuff.In fact, I wish Morse would have been a little more progressive on this album, he has progressive roots, and Magna Carta is a progressive label. For example, I'd like to see him play in the vein of Steve Hackett when he was with Genesis and wouldn't mind hearing him try something even less commerical, like Alan Holdsworth.However, the biggest disappointment for me, and to keep it in perspective, it's only one out of eleven tracks, is the Byrds' influenced cut, "Migration". Morse has the jingle jangle rhythmic sound down, but I would have liked it more if he would have played lead in the style of Roger McGuinn when McGuinn was at his peak as a player. The lead in "Eight Miles High" is a good example, but there are plenty of others spread out all over the "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger than Yesterday" albums.Oh, well, you can't have everything. Fans of good guitar playing and solid instrumental composition will like this one."

4.5 Stars, really..

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 02/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yet again, Steve Morse serves up a batch of sunny, hard rocking guitar tunes perfect for a cruise with the windows down. Yet again he's found a midway point between axe-fests for guitarists to drool over and brilliant songwriting for anyone to enjoy. Heck, if you look at my review for Stressfest you'll see I'm repeating myself trying to describe it. But if Steve's been showing some similarities among his solo albums, it's only because he's been doing things right all along.The gimmick this time, as you undoubtedly read on this page before now, is that Steve gives each of his compositions here a different 'flavor' based on a guitarist that's influenced him. Not covers, not blatant rip-offs, but a blend of their style and his own that, in almost all cases, works wonderfully. I've even thought some of them would work as duets - some acoustic picking from John McLaughlin would be icing on the cake of "The White Light," while the only thing missing from "Truth-Ola" is Eric Johnson's sweet guitar tone that Steve doesn't (and shouldn't) exactly match. That song, by the way, to me is also the only one that doesn't quite fit the style of (one of) its influences; in this case, Jeff Beck. The Allman Brothers homage "Free in the Park" partly hits its target, but at first I guessed it was also a nod to David Gilmour's early work in Pink Floyd.While other guitarists will find plenty of ripping note frenzies to appreciate (Check "Led On" for starters), don't be scared off by Major Impacts being a guitar-based album. It loses half a star from me - or would, if half-star ratings were allowed - just because of "Something Gently Weeps," and I can't give it quite the opinion of perfection I have for Structural Damage and High Tension Wires. However, it's a petty squabble comparing any of Steve's albums since I've never heard the man do anything less than brilliant. You can't really go wrong with any of them."