Urban Echoes Vol. 1
Gareth Pearson
Let me be blunt. This is the finest, most exciting new fingerstyle CD I have heard this year and it heralds the arrival of a major talent into the guitar world. Urban Echoes Vol. 1 establishes Gareth Pearson as the finest guitarist of the younger generation, with skill and musicality that surpass players two and even three times his age.
I was fortunate enough to be at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society convention in Nashville in 2006 when Tommy Emmanuel brought Gareth to play for us. This was a major honour in itself. Tommy hears literally thousands of players every year (as he used to play an astonishing 325 concerts a year!) and yet this was the first time he felt compelled to bring someone along as his protégé. Gareth was 16 at the time, and his speed and precision amazed all of us. He was the talk of the town. If I had one concern, it was that his musical sensitivity seemed a bit deficient. Well obviously he has been working very hard over the past four years because his playing on this CD is outstanding in every way. He has more than lived up to the promise that Tommy Emmanuel saw in him.
The CD gets off to an explosive start with Merle Travis' Blue Smoke, as Gareth demonstrates his complete command of his instrument and his mastery of some very advanced musical technique. I have only twice been this impressed by harmonic cascades: the first time I heard Lenny Breau play them, and the first time I saw Tommy Emmanuel live. Gareth Pearson plays this entire song with stunning virtuosity while never allowing technical issues to interfere with the music itself. Everything is in service to the song, and this one is just magnificent. Great fun too!
After the incredible speed of Blue Smoke, Gareth slows things down (a bit) with the easy-rocking Buddy Holly. He gives a sensitive rendition of the sweet melody while keep a "drum" backbeat slapping the strings. The middle section flourishes complement the melody perfectly, and the articulation in the entire song is a joy to hear: each note clear and snappy when need be.
Chinese Whispers is the first of six compositions by Gareth Pearson on this CD, an evocative piece that explores the textures possible in fingerstyle guitar while always keeping a strong sense of melody. This infectious melody is one that will stay in your head for days after hearing it, but you won't mind. In addition to being a fantastic guitarist, Gareth Pearson is a fine composer, and we have a lot to look forward to from him.
Travis Terrell joins Gareth to play fiddle on another Gareth Pearson composition, Every Time We Fall. Once again Gareth has written a beautiful evocative melody, this time giving it to the fiddle, while the guitar plays a kinetic background that occasionally joins the fiddle for a phrase or lends a fill to its pauses. This one seemed to end too soon for me - it is that enjoyable.
This CD has a great sense of forward motion thanks to fine sequencing of the tracks. Here things keep moving as a mysterious opening leads us into Thriller. This is an affectionate take on Michael Jackson's "monster hit" and Gareth's arrangement is a virtual master class in how to re-create the excitement of the original - right up to the final sound on the track. You will love this song even as you marvel at the incredible playing that produces it!
No sooner does Thriller end than Gareth flies off into another of his songs, Little Rogue. The arpeggios that race up and down the neck at lightning speed serve to set off the melody that seems to trace the rambling adventures of the rogue in the title. This one is yet another reminder of why Tommy Emmanuel has nicknamed Gareth "The Welsh Tornado."
My Fragile Dancer slows things down with an Celtic-flavoured melody decorated by musical filigree work that serves as both setting and foil for the simpler melody. Gareth shows that he can play both sensitively and brilliantly even at the softest level in this, another of his own songs.
Things keep moving along with yet another surprise, this time Radiohead's Paranoid Android. I consider this the finest type of arrangement as it brings out beauty and other musical perspectives that are not immediately apparent in the original. With all due respect to Radiohead, I have to say that I prefer this version.
MGMT's Time to Pretend is another great arrangement by Gareth. Again he finds melody and textures inherent in the original, but without the electronica overlay that keeps them in the background there. Instead he adorns the song with some fine playing that will appeal to any guitar lover.
BIllie Jean is the second Michael Jackson arrangement on the CD, and Gareth's approach is just as electric as with Thriller. He maintains the excitement of the original while exploiting the guitar's capability to the maximum. His phrasing of the melody is noteworthy, smooth and silky but staccato and punchy when necessary. All of the nice touches in the original find their way into this version, making for another great track. You will love this one. "Don't think twice..."
Perhaps the greatest testament to the strength of Gareth Pearson's songwriting is that he can end such a strong album with two of his own songs. Adrenaline Rush gives us a nice depiction of the build-up of adrenaline in any stressful situation, like playing in front of a packed house maybe? In any case the adrenaline spurs the player on to greater feats of guitar magic as it is channelled into a superb performance. So much for stage jitters.
I find Beauty of Discipline to be an intriguing title. I will try not to read too much into it but this is a beautiful song with a flowing, yet contained (disciplined?) accompaniment. Although it manages to break out of the flow in the middle, discipline seems to reassert itself, incorporating the breakout harmonics into the accompaniment. After the intense experience of this CD this feels a bit like an encore, and a well-deserved one at that. It calms us down and sends us back into the world, richer for having heard this remarkable music.
Gareth Pearson is one of the finest fingerstyle guitarists playing today which makes this first CD even more amazing. Gareth has ensured fingerstyle guitar a bright future by raising the bar for other up-and-coming guitarists with this superb CD. It is quite simply one of the best albums out there.
Buy it!
You can hear clips from this CD and buy it at
CANDyRAT Records: http://www.candyrat.com/
or get the CD or MP3's from
amazon.com: Urban Echoes Vol. 1
EIther way do not miss this chance to follow one of the best from the very start!