Year : 2012
Bitrate : 320K/s
Total Time : 53:28
Total Size : 123,3 MB
Styles: Blues Rock
Scans: Full Covers
1. Sweet Maybelline (3:31)
2. Leavin' On My Mind (4:33)
3. Headin' For A Fall (5:00)
4. And She Said (4:50)
5. The Shack (4:49)
6. The Letter (3:27)
7. Friends Departed (0:45)
8. Goodbye Gary (5:18)
9. Leave It All Behind (3:19)
10. The Mill Of The Stranger (0:42)
11. Hard Time Killing Floor (4:31)
12. Maybe She's Afraid (5:03)
13. The Shack Slight Return (2:21)
14. Tiger By The Tail (5:11)
TIP !!! The key to hearing this record is playing it loud enough to hear the details.
Master guitarist, composer and singer Dave Goodman teams up with harmonica maestro Steve Baker to create a heady mix of country rock, acoustic funk, blues and folk which exudes a powerful identity all of its own and yet defies stylistic definition. Goodman’s sophisticated and exceptionally versatile work on both acoustic and electric guitar and his inspired songwriting meet their perfect foil with Baker’s tasteful, arrestingly original harmonica parts.
The combination has clearly born fruit and on “The Wine Dark Sea”, both artists deliver what is arguably their finest work to date. It is rare that this level of instrumental expertise is combined with great songs, great vocals and state of the art production, but Goodman and Baker have clearly succeeded in pulling this off with a vengeance.
Both protagonists have long enjoyed a fruitful association with Acoustic Music Records. Dave Goodman’s last solo CD “Side Of The Road” received excellent reviews and cemented his burgeoning reputation as a virtuoso instrumentalist and highly talented songwriter. He is also a regular contributor to Acoustic Player and works closely with Peter Finger on numerous workshops and concert appearances. Steve Baker has been on AMR since the mid 1990s, releasing four highly acclaimed CDs with the late great singer/guitarist Chris Jones as well as “King Kazoo” with Dick Bird.
On “The Wine Dark Sea”, Goodman & Baker are brilliantly supported by Martin Röttger on drums and cajon and Oliver Spanuth on drums. The CD also includes guest appearances by Big Daddy Wilson, Hanna Lunnon and Kolja Heins.
With “The Wine Dark Sea”, Dave Goodman and Steve Baker have created a work which transcends genre while remaining inherently consistent from beginning to end. Beautiful production and great songs, masterfully orchestrated, vocally and lyrically totally convincing.
A few song-by-song comments follow.
Sweet Maybelline starts the record, genial and hard-rocking at the same time. The slide guitar work is heavily reminiscent of Ry Cooder, with echoes of Little Feat in the bassline. Harp is woven into the arrangement as a contrast to the guitars, with lots of rural-style hand work and a nice spotlight harp solo.
Leavin’ On My Mind is uptempo and driving in a rural acoustic style, with a moving vocal and lyric. It also introduces the real theme of this CD, which is leaving, forced or otherwise, and the pain that follows. The harp on this song is at its best when Baker plays his tightly articulated rhythmic licks; his patented quacking attack is used to good effect on both rhythm and lead parts.
Headin’ For A Fall is a full on Little Feat groove with great lyrics and cool acoustic slide guitar, reminiscent of Feat’s “On Your Way Down” in feel, tone, and lyrical messages. The harp is amped and honking when it’s out front. Baker offers lots of nice touches in the accompaniments too, which are mixed way down and do the job very well.
And She Said, sad and beautiful, is the next exploration of leaving, this time with the hope that leaving is not forever. Baker holds back for almost all of this song. When he makes a statement it has the sense of gravitas that comes from waiting to speak, as when the harp delivers a message of hope (“better days ahead”) on the chorus with one bright, yearning lick. This is a good song to play when hope is what you need.
In The Shack, what’s left behind (or not) is an abusive, drunken father. Lyrically, the song is hard-eyed and unsentimental, with a powerful emotional impact that’s reinforced by a rhythm section driven by acoustic and electric slide guitars. There’s no harmonica on this piece, but there’s a lot of harp on the powerful “slight return” instrumental version that’s second-to-last on the CD.
The Letter is a cover of the 1960s hit, and it’s my least favorite piece on the CD. The harp work is of course very good–’60s R&B is just one more variety of red meat for Steve Baker, and you damn well expect him to tear it up–but the arrangement, starting with a much slower tempo than the original, doesn’t excite me much. That said, the players give it their all.
Friends Departed is a slow minor blues with jazz chord changes, presented starkly with mostly acoustic instruments. It is absolutely, brilliantly moving from first note to last, with extended harp work that dares you to cry. This piece alone is worth the price of the CD. The emphasis in the lyric, of course, is on leaving–what else?
Leave It All Behind: Did I mention that leaving is a big theme on this record? The song is uptempo country swing with a touch of gypsy jazz.
The rhythm section is light on percussion and heavy on strings, lightweight and propulsive. The harp is deft and witty, with lots of sly
smiles in those fast lines.
The Mill of the Stranger plays like an extended intro to the next piece, Hard Time Killing Floor, especially since there’s no gap between the end of the first and the start of the second. Stranger’s electro-guitar opening and Killing Floor‘s descending hook line leave no doubt that this is about something dire, and as soon as Goodman starts singing the subject turns out to be hard times. The emotional content of the lyrics and the music are in total harmony, and the song makes a terrific impact. Baker’s amped up harp is utterly menacing and authentic, the way Ralph Stanley singing “Oh Death” a capella is authentic, meaning that the chilling emotions are directly, concisely expressed and totally convincing.
Baker doesn’t play Little Walter licks; he plays like he’s inside Walter’s head. A chorus of low male oohs at least doubles the spooky factor. Great electric slide and harp lead work round out the package.
Maybe She’s Afraid starts with a killer Little Feat/Bonnie Raitt groove, with a bassline that’s as punchy as it is economical, and big, confident guitars on top. The lyrics seem a little overheated, but the music does the job and then some. More amped harp from Baker, and it’s solid stuff, but it’s the smoking lead guitar work that really takes this one home.
On The Shack Slight Return, Baker’s gorgeously heartbreaking acoustic natural minor harp, surrounded with a nice sheen of reverb, takes the lead from the start. Along with Friends Departed, this brilliantly emotional instrumental piece is one of the big reasons to buy this record.
Tiger By The Tail is a Ry Cooder-style acoustic romp for pickers, with a relaxed half-time feel. Baker takes a nice long acoustic harp solo using traditional timbres while showing far more awareness of the chord changes than any traditional harp solo would. When he gets to the end of the piece he abandons all pretense of tradition to throw down a maniac upper register lick that’s easily the most intense thing on this record, utterly modern in its disregard for limits. Now THAT’s Rock and Roll!
Make sure to crank the volume to the point where you’re not struggling to hear it. !!!
Track 7 in memory of Lorenz Eberhardt, Ruby Rubart and Günter R. Meier.
Track 8 in memory of Gary Moore.
The Wine Dark Sea