My Favorite Martin
With this CD, Solid Air Records presents another of their fantastic collections of diverse artists. This time the common thread is not a brilliant songwriter, but the performers' beloved Martin guitars. The field of guitarists is exceptionally wide, even for Solid Air. Diversity is great, but you might wonder if it is possible to have too much of a good thing here. The breadth of talent is both the strength and the mild weakness of this CD.
As a co-production of Solid Air Records and Martin Guitars, this CD features mostly players who have their own signature models. The task for co-producer James Jensen of Solid Air is to present a cohesive selection of artists with his typically flawless production values. Co-producer Dick Boak of Martin would want to present as wide a selection of Martin guitars as possible as well as showing the diversity of styles of which the guitars are capable. What saves this project from becoming just an "audio catalog" for the Martin custom shop is the sheer musicality and integrity of the musicians.
Let me lay it out for you right away. I have played Martins for decades, though not exclusively. From my old D35-12 and M-36 to my current 'favorite' Laurence Juber Signature, I have enjoyed the wonderful sound of these guitars and am naturally inclined to enjoy them. I am also a fan of Solid Air Records. My opinion is that this CD has some dynamite performances, and yet I have to tell you that I cannot just put it on and listen to it. I find the stylistic shifts just too much for uninterrupted listening. BUT... we don't need to listen like that any more, do we? This is a CD that I prefer to listen to on my iPod, with each of the various styles in its own playlist, or with the whole CD slightly re-ordered. It's easy to do. (You might also think I'm crazy and want to just listen to it as is!)
So with that out of the way, let's look at the tracks.
The CD begins with the incomparable Laurence Juber performing a solo version of Layla. Most LJ fans should already have his recent CD PCH, and they will recognize this performance as the one from PCH. I have not compared them closely enough to discover if they are the same take (an especially difficult task with an artist as precise as LJ) but as the recording date is the same, and the timing reported as within 3 seconds, I suspect this is that take. In any case, it is a great rendition and a fine beginning to the CD.
Next comes Jim Earp with a delightful performance of Moondance. This track really grabbed me from its opening notes the first time I heard it, and it sure makes me want to hear more from Jim Earp! It rocks, it swings, it bounces and leaves you wondering if it was not meant to be a guitar solo from its very origin. Definitely a highlight of this CD!
Kenny Sultan takes us back in Martin history with the authentic sound of West Coast Blues, which sounds every bit as old as the 1936 000-18 that he plays it on. This is a great sounding song with the terrific blues feel that is Sultan's signature.
Martin Carthy heads even further back into history with his short medley of The Vandals of Hammerwich / John Peterson's Mare. Unfortunately, this placement in the running order lends it an overly precise, almost stodgy feel compared to the much looser performances on either side. It does better in a playlist with Don McLean's buoyant performance of Lovers Love the Spring and veteran fingerstylist Tony Rice's version of Danny Boy.
Ram by Steve Howe is the "loose"performance on the far side. Howe is very comfortable with fast runs and pull-offs, and his performance has a virtuosic, improvisatory feel.
Peter Rowan follows with a ringing performance of After the Rain that shows just how resonant a Martin can sound. The simple melody floats on top of a light arpeggiated accompaniment that showcases the amazing sound that steel and wood can make.
Mountain Air shows Pat Donohue at his fingerstyle best. Donohue brings a joyful percussive feel to his tune, along with some fine finger work. If you know Pat primarily from his fun jazz arrangements you will love hearing him cut loose on this one. Another fine one from the first to last note.
Fans of old-time music will be delighted to discover Norman and Nancy Blake here playing The Old Grey Mare Came Tearing Out of the Wilderness. It is wonderful to hear two great Martins playing such an authentic, laid-back tune.
Next Steve Miller comes crashing in with a full band - a bit of culture shock - to show that he can boogie with the best of them on an acoustic by performing Steve's Boogie for Lightnin'. It smokes, as you would expect.
Now, yet another turn in the road, or perhaps I should say a few curves. Buckle up!
Elliot Easton pulls out all the technological stops on You Showed Me. Although he creates his orchestral effects by employing line delays, backward recording, and even an acoustic guitar processor, all sounds orginally come from a truly marvellous collection of acoustic Martins. These include a D12-28 12-string, a D18 in Nashville tuning, an acoustic bass, an experimental model with a metal top, and several other beautiful guitars. The sound is "out of this world" - in several senses.
Greg Hawkes then follows up with his ground-breaking ukulele arrangement of Eleanor Rigby. I have already raved about Hawkes' incredible CD Beatles Uke, and if you have not bought it yet, this track should convince you to do just that. Another breath-taking highlight.
Roger McGuinn performs on his custom 7-string. This is not a standard 7-string with a low A string but rather it doubles the G (3rd) string an octave higher, as on a regular 12-string guitar (which McGuinn has so famously played). This adds richness to chording while ostensibly leaving the bass and top two strings free for normal playing. That said, I have to wonder about bending the B string, and I would assume that bending G is about as easy as bending it on a Rickenback 12-string. Elderly Instruments has posted some great pictures of this cool instrument here. On it, he performs Singing in the Country, inspired by his thinking of Pete Seeger (as he says at the outset). Fine folk picking on an unique guitar.
If you remember Heart, then you remember Nancy Wilson as a fine player on both electric and acoustic. Here she gives her Martin acoustic a workout on Decatur Road, with the subtle addition of effects to keep things interesting (plus a cool metronomic beat that sounds like someone tromping on down the road).
As I mentioned earlier, Tony Rice adds a very personal version of Danny Boy that fits nicely with any of the folkier stuff on this CD.
Don McLean follows up with a jaunty Lovers Love the Spring. This is the first (and only) vocal on the CD, and it is great to hear this legendary songwriter in such fine voice and playing so well. Most listeners will think of American Pie at just the sound of his name or his voice, while fingerstylists may recall the great affection and respect that Chet Atkins had for Vincent, as do so many of the rest of us. It is fitting that this homage to a great American guitar should wind up with a great American songwriter!
I should say "almost end". Since the last track is "a special mystery track" I can hardly spill the beans about it, so I'll just say that the very final vocals by a very classy lady made a big hit with my best friend here!
In summary, there are great performances here and wonderful sounding guitars. This CD will appeal to a very wide audience, and for that very reason you may want to re-order it to group the songs in your own categories. Then sit back and enjoy the music, but don't blame me if you find yourself driven to go purchase a Martin!
I think that's a risk worth taking though.
You can purchase this CD (for only $15.99) at Acoustic Music Resource.