Mark
Doyle
Out 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 |