DECEMBER REVIEWS
by Mike Baron
CARY MORIN: When I Rise
Laid-back front porch blues you might hear on a sultry evening in rural Mississippi in 1949. Singer/picker Cary Morin exudes low-key charm working solo and small group, mostly acoustic, with Dexter Payne’s clarinet on “Let Me Hear The Music,” and harmonica elsewhere. Morin makes no bones about his love for Delta blues and it shows. The Grateful Dead’s “Dire Wolf” gets the blues-streaked Morin treatment, the only cover. The denser “Jug In The Water” is electric blues built on locomotive bass. “Carmela Marie” could have come out of Laurel Canyon the late sixties, with yearning, piquant guitar.
THE MAGIC MUSIC MOVIE
So much great music gets left by the wayside. Magic Music was a Boulder-based jam band from the early seventies, breathing the same gestalt that created The Grateful dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Seatrain, and you can hear echoes of the Dead, particularly in the “Friend Of The Devil” chords of “Down To The University.” If you like Workingman’s Dead, you’ll love this, not that they’re aping the Dead. Magic Music came up with this sound on their own, George Cahill’s and Chris Daniel’s flutes hover over these songs like a couple of seagulls. Two flutes give them a signature sound on songs like “Sundance,” with banjos, mandolins and dobros chiming in. Canyon rock refers to the country-influenced sounds of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and Beachwood Sparks, but in this case, it also refers to the canyons of Colorado.
FAT STALLION: Diverted Eyes
This Fort Collins based quartet trades in driving, upbeat rock that verges on power pop, particularly in album opener “Behind It, All,” sung by Riley Wilkes and Light Goodfellow with the urgency and minor chords of 20/20. Emma Dawn’s trumpet provides a wild hair-up-the-ass quality that makes them instantly identifiable. Emma sings “All I’ve Got,” summoning the ghost of Milwaukee’s great lost power poppers, The Shivvers. “Ask” could have come off a Fleetwood Mac album. The five minute “In Your Name” grabs your ears with its mammoth prog-rock bottom, reminiscent of the Neal Morse Band. “In Your Name” is stadium-ready anthem rock, with a humongous guitar/drums/bass workout, everybody singing including guitarist Riley Wilkes and bassist Jack Elliott, segues into the proggy “Big Break” which will send you searching for your Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer records.
Highly recommended.
NEZROK – Netrok(Jahal)
Nezrok’s latest is more pop than power, packing an emotional impact verging on Crowded House territory, starting with the addictive “Middle Ground” traipsing over Fernando Perdomo’s sinuous guitar. The haunting, pensive “Dream Away,” could have been written by Richie Furay, with a major chord change-up that smacks you in the face like a flounder. “Imagine That” is redolent of both Dylan and C,S&N, and will send chills up your spine with its haunting melody, exquisite singing by Chris Korzen and Vicki Loveland, and a message which is both despairing and hopeful. “Andy, Please,” is Health and Happiness like, but Reznok has its own sound based on great bones. Following the power ballad of “Strong Love” and the church chords of “Birth of a Smile,” Nezrok closes with an Explorers Club like instrumental.
One of the best records of the year.
GREG POPE: A Few Seconds of Fame (Octoberville)
It’s remarkable how one man working alone can present such a variety of sounds, tempos and moods, but Greg Pope has been doing it for years. This is his fourth solo outing since Pop Monster, which landed on the power pop scene like Godzilla hitting Tokyo. Fluttering, heartbeat-like guitar characterizes “She’s Already There,” while “Hopes and Dreams and Fears” has brooding power, starting with its attenuated intro. “Planet Earth,” with its baroque introduction and minor chords, recalls The Left Banke, while “Give You What You Want” is a mean little rocker with a rolling beat. Through it all, Pope never shortchanges. Every song has a chorus and a hook, often unforgettable.
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Mike Baron is the creator of comic books Badger and (along with Steve Rude) Nexus. His latest book is “A Brief History of Jazz Rock” – more on Amazon CLICK HERE.
Baron has an exciting, just announced new project coming out in 2018 and just hit its Kickstarter goal. It’s called Q-Ball and it’s an espionage/martial arts thriller with explosive fight scenes, written by Mike Baron and drawn by Barry McClain. CLICK HERE to check it out.
He has written five novels in the last few years, all available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/184-5348781-8830168?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Mike%20Baron. Visit his website here: http://bloodyredbaron.net and on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Baron
