While
Masako's self-titled debut album showed the
intriguing promise of a brilliant new keyboard
artist, her sophomore release displays the confident
mastery and tempered virtuosity of a venerable
veteran musician.
In
contrast to the cross-cultural East meets West
interplay and atmospheric textures of the first CD,
the new album lands solidly in the genre of jazz/new
age piano, with the acoustic ivories taking center
stage. And with this offering, Masako proves herself
worthy of the echelon of preeminent pianists such as
David Lanz, Jim Brickman, and Liz Story. I even hear
a little bit of Bruce Hornsby in her compositional
and playing style.
This
is a flawless disc from beginning to end, with one
beautiful and mesmerizing piece after another. As
they say, the hits just keep on coming.
The
majority of the album is just Masako on the piano,
and hearing just her on the keyboard is pure bliss.
She also receives standout support on four tracks
from producer William Ackerman on guitar, Tony Levin
on bass, Jeff Haynes on percussion, Premik Russell
Tubbs on wind synthesizer, Eugene Friesen on cello,
Jeff Oster on trumpet, and Noah Wilding on vocals.
This
is without a doubt one of the best piano-based albums
out there.
--Raj
Manoharan
Eric
Johnson's latest album, Europe Live, is out now.
As
the title indicates, the CD documents the legendary veteran Texas
guitarist's recent European tour in support of his 2010 studio album
Up Close.
While
the new album includes cuts from that CD, the live disc also features
classics from Johnson's nearly three-decade-long career as a solo
recording artist, as well as two new songs.
A
14-minute YouTube preview sampler is available at
www.ericjohnson.com, and based on the audio clips of each of the 14
songs, Europe
sounds like Johnson's best live album to date. Not only does it have
the advantage of providing
the broadest live retrospective of Johnson's solo career, but
it also has the benefit of showing how some of his old tunes have
evolved in the hands of a wiser and more refined – but still very
dynamic and energetic – Johnson, who just seems to keep getting
better and better as time goes on.
The
CD couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, as Johnson
celebrates the big Six Zero this summer (August 17, to be exact).
What better way to mark the momentous occasion than to listen to Up
Close and Europe Live?
In
that spirit, I have included my review of Up Close below.
--Raj
Manoharan
The seventh studio album from Grammy Award-winning Texas guitar hero Eric Johnson is quite the trip. Like his other CDs a mix of instrumentals and vocal songs mostly penned by him and showcasing his unique virtuosity on the electric guitar, Up Close includes some of the best work that Johnson has ever written and recorded.
The album is dripping with crackling guitars. If a guitar died and went to heaven, this is what heaven would sound like. Johnson is on fire, effortlessly weaving incredible, sparkling solos in and out of both the instrumental and vocal tracks. The vocal songs range from energetic blues and rock numbers to gorgeous, heartfelt ballads. Inspired like never before, Johnson plays and sings with a fervor not present in his previous work. Perhaps Johnson is like a fine vintage wine, improving with age.
I was first introduced to the music of Johnson in 1990 by an employee at a local cable television station I was interning at during my senior year of high school. That was the year Johnson, then 35/36 years old, released his breakthrough second album, Ah Via Musicom, which achieved the distinction of having three instrumental songs reach the American Top Ten.
As accomplished and groundbreaking as Ah Via Musicom and its edgier and sonically more expansive 1996 follow-up, Venus Isle, are, Johnson has really poured his living, breathing essence into Up Close. The result is the best guitar-based album of the last several years, and one of the best guitar-based and general music albums of all time.
With Up Close, Johnson is at the top of his game as a guitarist, composer, and singer. He has created a masterwork of soulful jazz/pop/rock fusion that exudes passion, especially through his trademark virtuosic guitar sound. Even with guest vocals by Malford Milligan, Steve Miller, and Johnny Lang, and guitar performances by Jimmie Vaughan, Steve Hennig, and Sonny Landreth, the album is clearly all Eric Johnson up close front and center.
--Raj Manoharan
Having recently become a fan and listened to all of his "grown-up" albums (I have yet to listen to the eponymously titled Stone Garden by his teenage rock band with his brothers from the late 1960s), I can say that as a guitarist, Paul Speer is without peer. His guitar artistry is always on point. Regardless of the genre he's working in, he continually nails it with unique, razor-sharp phrasing and clean, crunchy tones. In terms of his overall body of work, he is the most consistent, focused, and precise guitarist of his time working in new age jazz/rock fusion. His albums are available at www.amazon.com and at www.paulspeer.com, where he has some good deals, including a couple of CDs and DVDs for one cent!
--Raj Manoharan
For
those whose idea of ukulele music consists of
Hawaiian hula chord playing, Andre Feriante casts
those aspersions aside with his new genre-defying
musical statement.
Trained
by the master himself, Andre Segovia, Feriante is an
accomplished and versatile classical, flamenco, and
Spanish-style guitarist, and he brings those
virtuosic sensibilities to the ukulele.
If
I didn't know this was a ukulele album, I would have
thought Feriante was playing traditional fingerstyle
acoustic guitar. This is how unexpected, surprising,
and original this album is, sounding nothing like
typical ukulele music.
Feriante
also ups the ante by performing each track with a
different ukulele featuring anywhere from three to
six strings.
If
you think you're not into ukulele music, Andre
Feriante just might change your tune.
--Raj
Manoharan
If
ever there was a CD for putting your cares aside and
letting your subconscious drift into a blissful,
dreamlike state, this is it.
This
lush, ethereal synthesizer opus is one major musical
suite divided into four title tracks distinguished by
sequential number. The result is flexibility for the
listener who may only be able to benefit from one
musical therapy session at a time or can maximize use
of the entire program.
The
tunes and tones are entrancing and hypnotic and can
be utilized as catharsis, non-intrusive background
music, or just simply pleasant listening.
If
your nerves need soothing or you just want to chill
out, Forrest Smithson is your go-to guy.
--Raj
Manoharan
The
title says it all, as the music on this CD is so soft
and penetrating it seems to emanate from your
subconscious.
As
quiet as the compositions are, they are yet dynamic
in their structure and complex in their layers,
resulting not only in an uplifting but also a
thoroughly whole sound experience.
Ann
Licater's wood and silver flutes are the primary
ingredients that make up the sonic magic evident on
this CD. Licater's musical vision is fully realized
through a host of other key elements, including
vocals by Licater and Liz Addison, electric bass by
Peter Phippen, steel tongue drum by Phippen and Jason
Introwitz, trumpet by Jeff Oster, piano by Ivar
Lunde, hand-held quartz crystal bowls by Kathleen
Farrell, Afro-Peruvian cajon percussion by David
DiLullo, and conga by Introwitz.
This
is a lush, luxurious album that provides soothing
refreshment for the soul.
--Raj
Manoharan
