| Mark 
                DoyleOut Of the Past
 Free Will Records
  
                Mark's 
                  been around awhile, had numerous gigs with folks you know, and 
                  put out a very good solo album a couple years back. Here he's 
                  back with a nice disc full of instrumental covers you'd associate 
                  with the '60s, and some originals that call to mind the same 
                  era. 
                  lf 
                    slide is your cup of tea, his cover of the Doors "Moonlight 
                    Drive" is your thing. To top it off, cool pull-offs and hammer-ons 
                    power a solo that really cooks. Doyle's not afraid to showcase 
                    modern sounds with the old stuff, either. Check out the loops 
                    on "Tomorrow Never Knows," where he plays the Beatles. It 
                    sounds beautifully and mixes it up with the loops. While these 
                    are covers, they are always imaginative. The medley of "Paint 
                    It Black/Eleanor Rigby" is driven by the melody, while his 
                    solo sounds like Santana interpreting the Stones and Beatles. 
                 All 
                    you guitarists out there will love the sounds. Doyle's a real 
                    tone freak. "Young Rabbits" has a Strat sound you'll just 
                    drool over. Punchy, with just a little distortion. Put that 
                    sound together with a knockout solo, and you've got pure heaven. 
                 As 
                    you can see, I think this album is wonderful. But the final 
                    cut is really the topper - a cover of the '50s classic "It's 
                    All In the Game." It's one of the single prettiest guitar 
                    cuts I've heard in a long time. Doyle harmonizes the melody 
                    in such a way that it's like a hot knife through butter. Just 
                    plain gorgeous. This cut alone is worth the price of admission. 
                 Did I mention the artwork? 
                    Very retro, matches the music. Very cool. Highly recommended. 
                    You can pick it up at markdoyle.com. -John Heidt  |