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FRESH SOUND
JOHN CHIN/Blackout Conception: Smart, introspective piano man that knows how to work as a member of an ensemble even though he’s the leader of the date. With a feathery, Bill Evans kind of touch, Chin chases those metaphoric elusive butterflies through the windmills of your mind with a low key but very memorable result.
MARK PUCCI MEDIA
ANTHONY GOMES/Live: Straight up, hard rocking guitar blues date in which road warrior Gomes plays like he’s in it for the love of the game. With the kind of ear for talent that lea to Gretchen Wilson having one of her first jobs backing Gomes, he’s the kind of cat that heats up the night, jumps in his car and heads off to light up the night sky in the next town. Unpretentious but ass kicking throughout.
(Ruf)
UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES
VAN MORRISON/Wavelength; A Sense of Wonder; Tupelo Honey; Back on Top: It’s Too Late to Stop Now; Avalon Sunset: With 40 years worth of albums to overhaul, all the label has to do is pick up a shovel and dig in. All remastered and with added bonus tracks, the initial clutch of the Morrison journey through the past takes in classics, later period stuff and breathers. The landmark live double album from the period when he would throw up before taking the stage, the seminal classics, the introspective albums from the time after Warners unceremoniously dropped him because the record biz was in the dumps and he was no longer relevant; that’s what’s on deck here and on the whole, it’s all amazing, even when it isn’t all about the hits. As everything fades into a pastiche of history, with a catalog like this, Morrison should be able to take his place next to all the artists with hallmark, classic careers no matter what era or style they represent. As they were coming out, you really had to be one of the faithful to follow him through all his stylistic turns but this looks like the beginning of a summation that’s going to reveal him as a man for all seasons. The remaster is a good bet for old fans updating or filling in holes in their collection and a sure bet for youngsters that need to hear some real music from a true master.
Volume 31/Number 100
February 8, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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