Chris McKenna and GG1 - Soundtown (Redbass)Look, I'm going to tell you from the start of this that this review is going to be one of those esoteric head-scratchers. If you want the full lowdown on this baby, you can go read our interview with Chris and glean all the info you could possibly need from his passionate answers to my curious questions. That's where the meat and potatoes are. For the icing on the cake you can follow along here.Soundtown is, by and large, a beautiful pop album. It is both a concept and a song cycle. But don't let that turn you away. Every song here (and there are twenty of 'em) stand alone strongly. So you won't have to be worried about "following along with the story" if you don't want to. And Soundtown isn't one of those stories that demands you keep up with this or that character or some muddled situational dramatic overture that needs explaining in seven or more songs. The concept at hand is as much musical as it is lyrical.Borrowing from influences as diverse as McKenna's father singing old '20s standards to classical composers and The Beach Boys, Soundtown is an exploration of all those things and them some rolled into one. This is the pop lover's dream come true. With a ton of personal friends who also happen to be excellent musicians on hand, McKenna excels at every turn, every corner, every nuance of every song here.The trio of songs that open the album, "Welcomeroom", "Great White Wave", and "Maximum Love Vibes" all flow into one another, connecting in tonal form and sound waves, matching each other like perfectly interlocking jigsaw puzzles pieces that may seem disparate at first but come together to make that complete picture. And the sound of these songs - this entire album for that matter, is a revelation itself. How warm and live sounding, yet how smooth and sleek at the same time, never once tumbling over into sloppiness or tomfoolery. No long winded jams to expose the egotistical musical genitalia that is sometimes the downfall of many a tasty and skilled musician. No, GG1 work together seamlessly. You can hear each and every instrument perfectly, and no one needs to show off. And no one does.Two of my favorite tracks on the album are "Hey Jay" and "That's How Easy". Perhaps they're the two most "pop friendly" pieces on the album, but on a work that is nothing but pop friendly, that can not be a crime. And besides, pop music is not a crime, it's something to behold and enjoy. "Hey Jay" depicts the bird trapped in the house scenario, banging away at the panes of glass in the windows trying to escape. The tale of how the real freedom lies within the bird's wings, and not the human's existence with its cozy rooms in its house and its apparent "freedoms" to go and come as it may."That's How Easy" is a love song, plain and simple. McKenna has pointed out here and there that love is a large theme at work on this album, and why not? People often complain that there have been too many love songs written, while our teachers always told us to write what we know. And well, love is something we all know in one form or another, right? Even the rote wankings of the most insipid and uninspired popular pop punk and emo acts of today can't seem to stop writing about girlfriends and crushes. So for God's sake, please let someone who can write a song do the subject justice. Amen.I promise you that you're going to dig Soundtown. The words here are not going to paint the entire picture for you. With twenty songs, and a bevy of emotions and ideas, how could they. No, this is but a mere Cliff's Notes to get you on your way. From "Lilac Goddess (Miss Moss)" to "Garden" and "Around Me", each song here takes on its own life, its own sound and quality, its own part of the story. To blather on about the musical experience which you'll undertake when pressing play on this disc is futile.Did I mention this CD is packaged in a lavish hardcover book, complete with notes, lyrics, and pictures? It's a hell of a package, and one that for once is justified. The CD and its music deserve something of this magnitude, and, well, there you have it. Chris McKenna knows what he's fucking doing and has conquered entire musical spaces with this, his first big release. Do what you have to do. Go read the interview to get the lowdown and the address and information to get yourself a copy of Soundtown. Once you have, don't thank me, but thank Chris and GG1 for pouring their hearts and talents into this extraordinary masterpiece of pop music that should definitely not go unnoticed. Don't let another deserving artist pass you by. McKenna is the real thing.- Jason Thompson
Read more...
When I first opened the package this CD came in I was perplexed, I got a book, why? Upon further inspection, it was a beautifully bound book on glossy paper with a story to read including words to every song and a CD in a sleeve attached in the back. Well, when you have something like this in front you it is natural to want to browse through it then read it. I never read all the lyrics to every song before to any album I have listened to, I guess there is a first time for everything. I listened to the 20 tracks on the CD then sat down and read the book from cover to cover.
Chris McKenna and GG1 take poetry and set it to music on "Soundtown." The words are powerful and poignant and the music is easy and laid back, like a lazy summer afternoon. With a well-groomed mixture of pop, jazz, rock and classical, McKenna and his cohorts make every word tally up. I noticed at the beginning of the book there is a story that summarizes the entire album and McKenna mentions the Berkshires as being the place where some of these events and feelings take place. That is where I am from! It is a small world indeed.
My favorite tune is "Windy Out West" with its catchy beat and phrasing. Chris refers to this work as a travelogue of emotions, with the songs just coming out of him as the album developed. He is so much more than a musician, he is a true to form artisan that has found his niche in this world by creating songs filled with the emotion of mankind and the sensitivities that are detected by most of us but rarely shared with each other.
Our thoughts seem to come and go and we move on to the next journey without every stopping to smell the roses. This man has taken the time to taste life and all its pleasures and he willingly shares it all with us through his poetry and music. This CD offers a moving and beautiful experience that will open your eyes to your own realities and help you to appreciate your surroundings more. Buy this CD, read the book and listen intently to the music that the words come so carefully placed upon; they will build an impact that will surely get your attention. You will stop, think, and wonder what would of, should of or could have happened if you were more receptive to your own humanity. Can you imagine that a CD and a book could possibly instigate all those feelings? It can happen for you if you just stop your life for an hour and listen. By: MuzikMan (Associate Writer)
Read more...