Finally the three right hands man is back
Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 11/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"2007, finally Michael has released a new album. I don't know how many years have passed since the release of his last effort "Decomposition" (which by the way was a cover album) ... seven to say the least, maybe more. I can't remember exactly. So many years I almost did forget to search for something new from him. When I saw this one in front of me in my music store here in Italy, I almost couldn't believe it. I had to stretch my eyes to believe it. Michael Lee Firkins? Wow! And the best thing was that I could grab it easily (and of course I did!) in spite of the little obscure record companies Michael has always published his albums with in the past (mainly Shrapnel, albums there are not available everywhere). This one is out on Magnatude, did everyone ever hear something of this NY company? Not me for sure. So the tradition continues. But let's go a little deeper. This cd is a low budget album from what I can see by the artwork and packaging. Very small digipack edition without any booklet, no bells and whistles here ... but ok, let's go on, in the case of a serious and sincere artist like Michael it is sure the music that really matters so don't stop at the first sight. BlackLight Sonatas contains nine tunes, Michael recorded them with different rhythmn sections, but still always with just a bass and drums behind him (plus some guitar rhythmn parts he pre recorded). Well the album is great, Michael has not lost anything of his musical personality and abilities with the guitar. His influences and his musical direction are always the same. A very blues infected guitar rock. There are all his trademark melodies and blues inflections (slides effects etc) you may expect from him here. It's more on the Chapter Eleven side than on his debut album style which, thanks to a more saturated sound, was more a shredder's album (even if a very mature and bluesy one). It is all instrumental except for Black Betty (which is a cover yes). All in all I can say it is a very beautiful album, very consistent through all the nine tunes. In terms of melodies I don't find here the genius he had in his debut album (aka "Laughing Stacks", "Cactus Cruz", "Space Crickets", "24 Grand Avenue", "Rain in the tunnel"), in "Chapter Eleven" (think to "Baci Boy Blues", "Big Red", Media Showers" etc) or in "Cactus Cruz" ("Freeway lines") but it is a very consistent album, strong, pure, with no weak spots, very well composed and played from the beginning to the end. The style as I told you is his trademark blues type of hard rock, .. apart maybe for the last tune which is a kind of J.S. Bach "ballad", it is very good by the way. Very Important. Don't be fooled by the resonator style guitar that appears on the cover. Michael plays here with his usual Marshall very beautiful distorted sound. I don't know why he tries so hard to confuse his audience and to deny his lead guitar hero type of image. To be more confusing (if that is his aim) he could use a picture of him with a baseball bat maybe ... I don't know, bah. Anyway ... I hope Michael will record with more continuity in the future because he's extremely talented and even original in his approach to his music (even if you can consider him more or less an heavily rooted blues player, ... but very different from Stevie Ray anyway .. ). I would rate this one 4 or 4 and a half, but considering that I want to be encouraging with Michael, I want to give him five stars. Go on Michael, your best is surely yet to come! (uh, the title of my review refers to an old article by Guitar Magazine where they called Michael the 3 right hands man because he's so great with his right hand that he seems to have three of them!)
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Track Listings (9) - Disc #1