Yesirree, this one's a keeper. Mostly instrumental (two vocal tracks, actually), it's quite eclectic and (almost) everything works. "Goin' Down" and "Sea Sonata" are marred only slightly by Mr. Hunter's somewhat wobbly vocals. He tries so hard to sound authentically country/blues on the former that it sounds like satire - - which for all I can tell, it is. Hunter's pounding take on "Eight Miles High" owes less to the Byrds than it does to, say, contemporary Deep Purple and he makes it his own, all right - - heck, the guy had played with everyone from Alice Cooper to Lou Reed by this time and he was headed for, among others, Peter Gabriel. Ditto for "Sail On, Sailor"; it's as atmospheric a tribute as you could hope for, and has a swagger that the original only hinted at. (And omitting the word "sailor" from the refrain is sort of a musical nudge-wink.) The brief quote from "My Favorute Things" in "Rubber Man" is cute, too. Other standouts: the wide-screen, cinematic "Eldorado Street", the airy title track and the beautiful closer, "Deep Blue". Yes, the titles are evocative - - and the music lives right up to them. Bob Ezrin's beefy production doesn't hurt, either. (by Mark Champion)
Personnel:
Steve Hunter (guitar)
Bob Erzin (keyboards, percussion, vocals)
Jim Gordon (drums)
Prakash John (bass)
+
Joanne Brooks (vocals)
Jozef Chirowski (piano)
C. Erzin (bass)
Tony D´Amico (vocals)
Jim Maelen (percussion)
Carol Pope (vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Eight Miles High (Clark/McGuinn/Crosby) 5.00
02. Eldorado Street (Hunter) 4.58
03. Goin´ Down (Traditional) 2.35
04. Rubber Man (Hunter) 2.52
05. Of All Times To Leave (Hunter) 1.42
06. Jasper St. Viaduct Guitar Rag (Hunter) 1.43
07. Sail On Sailor (Rieley/Parks/Wilson) 4.36
08. Sea Sonata (Hunter) 4.52
09. Deep Blue (Hunter)
ARMU 2086 (zippyshare)