After
more than two decades apart, lifelong Utah natives
and childhood friends Paul Martinson and Brent
Vincent (the former a new age musician and the latter
a dance club DJ) reconnected and found themselves on
the same musical wavelength again. After they added
Lisa Wegener's vocals to their eclectic mix of
keyboard and synthesizer sounds, Cosmo Frequency was
born.
Even
though this is their debut album, the trio sound like
old hands in the studio. The production is very slick
and refined, with crisp, clear sound.
The
group takes its name from Carl Sagan's landmark
television series Cosmos, primarily because of
the music composed by electronic artist Vangelis, who
is famous for his iconic score to Chariots of
Fire. The
inspiration of Sagan's vision can be found in the
grand, epic scope of the compositions, and the
influence of Vangelis heard in the highly polished
and crystalline sheen of the synthetic
sounds.
Cosmo
Frequency and their soundtrack to life are
the nexus where humanity and high-tech meet, and from
a musical point of view, that's not a bad spot to
find yourself in.
--Raj
Manoharan
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
