 |
1995 |
1. Sacred Ground |
| Reviews Review by Eric Vandenberg: It is too bad that this album is so hard to get, since it is definitely one of the best and most versatile albums of the Steve Morse-Band It starts of with the wonderful synth-intro of "Sacred Ground", very dra- matic. I don't know where Steve always gets the inspiration to write such great intro-songs. This one, with it's great counterpoint-leadwork is a perfect example of this "phenomenon" Next is "Good to Go", a more energetic track. It's "refrain" has one of the best melodies ever written by Steve IMHO. With a wonderful warm sounds he pre- sents this great melody, accompanied by Dave's slapped lines and overdubbed powerchords. The dynamics of this song are quite fascinating. "Dreamland" falls into the category "Perfectly chosen song-title"...The moody guitar- and synth-melodies of this song really makes your mind drift off....A wonderful quiet piece of music. "Barbary Coast" starts with an uptempo-riff, followed by a great singable melody. A perfect example of all the very discrete layers Steve uses in his compositions. "Slice of Time" is a quiet, classical inspired piece, and like the other ones out of that category, just a beautiful little piece of music ! "Native Dance" is a midtempo-song, reminding me a little of "Arena Rock" ( "Southern Steel") Again, Steve demonstrates his quite inventive use of dynamics by changing between rocking riffs, great melodies, quieter picking and very tense sequences. You can also hear him using a modulation-effect in this one...rather unusual for Steve. "Just out of Reach" is another slower, very atmospheric song, a little bit like "Wolf Song". Steve's choice of notes and sounds is quite fascinating ( "D'uuuuuuh !") "Rally Cry" is another one for the category "Head Movie". It almost sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a day on the race track ( "Yonder in the south we've got NASCAR, y'all ! =) ). I'd recommend to pay special attention to the wonderful little clean picking-passages in between...an absolutely great clean-sound ! Let's get out the acoustic guitar for "Foreign Exchange". Supported by Dave's great basswork, Steve gives us a strumming work-out here. The title-track of the CD is an uptempo-song, very theme-like. Bassists should take a few headache powders before listening to it, since Dave LaRue shows off his amazing trademark-slapping-technique. A great ending for a fascinating CD. Try to get it, it's worth it !!!! |