Customer Reviews

Southwest

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Given that Southwest is the first solo CD that Eric Tingstad has released in over 10 years, a question that might immediately come to mind is "What sets the CD apart from the standard Tingstad and Rumbel fare?"

The instrumentation obviously is different, with Rumbel appearing only on two tracks (which nevertheless are among the highlights of the CD). Here, the oboist is replaced as Tingstad's melodic foil usually by the pedal steel guitar of Terry Lauber or by the overdubbed guitar lines of Tingstad himself. But perhaps the overriding characteristic that sets Southwest apart from the Tingstad and Rumbel oeuvre is the percussion driven-ness of the CD.

Tingstad admits in the liner notes that he composed most of the tunes on a Native American frame drum, and that is no surprise, given that drums and percussion musically define nearly each tune. Whether it's various hand percussions or full drum kit, it's the infective beats that get under your skin and set the "sense of place" atmosphere of each track.

Doing Tingstad's bidding on frame and udu drums was Tim Miller, while TJ Morris sets driving beats on drum kit and various other percussion. The drum-kit work of Morris, especially, is largely responsible for making Southwest surely the most rhythmically engaging project of Tingstad's career. No "four cornered" country back-beats here.

Eric Tingstad's latest venture, "Southwest," is listed as a solo album, but makes liberal use of his long-time collaborator, Nancy Rumbel, and the vocalizations (chanting) of Petra Stahl. A host of other musicians round out the sound of the album, and the result is a sort of dreamy trip to the southwestern part of the U.S. Opening the album on a strong note is "Sunrise at Four Corners," painting a musical picture of the break of day on the reservation. Other songs, such as "Walking in Two Worlds," "Taos Hum," "Rhythm of the Desert" and "Trails End" add to this strong effort of ambient regional feel and imagination. It's a fine album that adds to Tingstad's reputation of a very good musician.

I bought this CD after hearing the haunting "Voices of the Ancient Ones" on Echoes' 2007 Earth Day broadcast. I was intrigued by the chanting (Petra Stahl) as it entered and receded at points in the melody, by the tasty bass work (Garey Shelton) and the penetrating and mournful pedal steel (Terry Lauber). When I heard after the set that the artist was Eric Tingstad, I about fell out of my skin. "Voices" is the best and most "complete" piece on this CD, a perfect composition where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts (all recorded in different studios and later mixed). Close runners-up are "Sunrise at Four Corners" (builds from a lazy pedal steel intro to a great, bass/percussion driven groove, but has a disappointing fade-out ending which detracts from the tune's strong "statement"); "Walking in Two Worlds" (has a Celtic doppelganger to the moody Southwestern persona)and "Where the Moon Stood Still" (a delicate piece that reminds me of Ansel Adams' famous photo, "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico".

Why four, instead of five, stars? Because I found "The Last Caballero" and "Trails End" both somewhat corny and predictable; and "Kiva (Where the Wind Blows)" is just a go-nowhere clunker, despite Nancy Rumbel's contribution. I've listened to the CD half a dozen times in the last month and am waiting for these tunes to reach out and grab me. I'll continue to play it (and recommend it).

The musicians on this CD are all top flight. Garey Shelton's bass is the perfect bottom for the atmosphere of "Southwest." But Terry Lauber "steels" the show and truly gives this CD its secret ingredient.

Bottom line: buy the disc, kick back and drag Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" off the shelf and re-read the essays "Cowboys and Indians (parts I and II)". Better yet, throw "Southwest" in the dashboard CD player and go for a long, lazy drive in the pre-dawn and watch the sun come up in a quiet place. (Also good for working late at the office and you're the only one in the building.)

While most of this CD indulges itself into native rhytms and chants, which is a different spin for Tingstad, it does contain maybe his most beautiful piece to date, the melodically graceful "Trails End", which is at the very least on par with any piece previous performed with Nancy Rumbel. I'm surprised that a prior review labelled this song and others as predictable and corny, when it is simply a beautiful piece of music worth the price of admission itself. This is a pleasant CD which is recommended for any Tingstad fan who wishes to expand their knowledge of what this talented artist can do.

Eric Tingstad has produced music that evokes Native American nuances with suggestions of quiet cowboy times. Lovely, evocative, thoroughly enjoyable.

Relax and close your eyes as Eric Tingstad takes you on a journey through mountains, valleys, the desert and to a 200 year-old campfire. This album awakens the spirit within and brings mental images of the Southwest and our ancient native american ancestors. The haunting vocals of Petra Stahl serve to immerse you in this experience. Excellent guitar work from Tingstad and kudos to Terry Lauber for superb pedal steel guitar licks that only enhance this journey.

Disappointment! Too much background drumming & chanting that detracts from the reason I bought the CD - to listen to the guitar!