1994 Issue. R2 71624
Blues
This is one of the jazz records I like most, turning back to it often. The lineup is almost perfect: bass, drums, fender rhodes keyboards and Robben Ford on the guitar, with the exception of the first and last number where he switches to the alto sax. It results a mellow yet intense sound which characterizes and unifies the album. The succession of the numbers fits the title. The first is a mid-tempo swing: the theme is quietly presented, a brief electric piano solo follows and then the sax gradually raises the tension, screams, and then goes back to silence. The second number is a gloomy, slow swing in three where the long guitar solo is intertwined by keyboards interventions. Then the mood changes; the next piece raises the tension with a mid-tempo funky rhythm, accelerates to a climax and then calms down, ending with an intense, layered guitar solo. The next piece is a sort of slight reprise of the previous one, opened by a great yet extremely simple attack. The fifth piece changes again the pace as it is a latin beat, possibly the most leisured moment of the whole record. The close is a ballad, actually a free form dialogue between the keyboards and a delayed saxofone, softly leading the listener to the natural conclusion of the album.
The work is a snapshot of a young, creative artist in a state of grace, where everything - sound, composition, variety - just works. It is a shiny little gem that keeps on fascinating me after all these years. So perfectly beautiful that I cannot even think to listen to anything else Robben Ford has produced.
By Pietro Braione.
**
Robben Ford- (Vocals, Guitar, Sax);
Paul Nagle- (Keyboards);
Stanley Poplin- (Bass);
Jim Baum- (Drums).
**
01. Miss Miles 6:34
02. Ladies Choice 6:30
03. Hawk's Theme 6:28
04. Lowride 2:26
05. Stella and Frenchie 8:00
06. Softly Rolling 7:28
**
NoPassword
*
DLink MU
DLink FF
*
No comments:
Post a Comment