BEYOND THE WARRIOR’S EYES Brian Tarquin & Heavy Friends (Downtown Music) ****+
Don’t let the title or the cover art fool you. This isn’t some Cro-Magnon metallic adventure, though it rocks. Brian Tarquin’s ‘heavy friends’ are a bunch of ridiculously talented and well connected musicians, masters of their instruments, and Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes is a reference to the charity it supports “Hope For The Warriors”, who provide a wide range of services for wounded, ill and injured Marines. Musically this is a jazzy, ripping good time.
Brian Tarquin is an Emmy award-winning guitarist and composer who’s had smooth jazz and rock hits on the radio, and his music has been featured on countless TV shows and in movies too. “I wanted a true star-studded musical tribute of soaring instrumental songs” he says. “I was very fortunate to get such iconic players as Jean Luc Ponty, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford and Steve Morse to help me express our gratitude.” And what a guest list it is; Ponty was the violin player on The Who’s Baba O’Riley and Steve Morse spent decades in Deep Purple as Ritchie Blackmore’s replacement. Some other names of note appearing here include Dean Brown (David Sanborn), Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), Chris Poland (Megadeth) and Larry McCray (John Mayall), talented and expressive players all. Plus, The Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
But what does Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes sound like? Rock meets mainstream jazz is probably the quickest way to get at it, not unlike what an introspective Joe Satriani record might feel like. There is one vocal cut, These Colors Don’t Run, which closes out the record and features the late Phil Naro on vocals as well as Steve Morse. As you can well imagine, this one gets you right in the feels. BTWE was written, engineered and produced by Tarquin, who also played all the instruments (except the guest stars’ solos) and drums, which were handled by studio skinsman Reggie Pryor. The disc has a suitably hefty sound and the mix is well balanced and heavy without being obnoxiously aggressive.
Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes is a glorious fusion-prog collection that will thrill guitar geeks as well as reach far beyond that group to serious music fans of every stripe. Well done, sir!
HOT TRACKS: Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes (with Jean Luc Ponty), A Soldier’s Journey (with Steve Kindler & The Budapest Symphony Orchestra), Common Valor (with Larry McCray)
HEADLESS CROSS/ ANNO MUNDI Black Sabbath (Rhino/ BMG) *****
HEADLESS CROSS/ ANNO MUNDI I rarely review singles nowadays- working two jobs and producing two radio shows a week PLUS writing this column leaves precious little time to spare- but this 2-sided digital single marks a sea change for Sabbath history. With the announcement last week of the forthcoming Anno Domini box set, due May 31st via BMG in Europe and Rhino here in the colonies, the Tony Martin era of the band is finally getting the recognition it so richly deserves, and Headless Cross/ Anno Mundi is just a taste of what is to come.
As Black Sabbath’s lead singer, Tony Martin recorded 5 studio albums with the band; The Eternal Idol (1987), Headless Cross (1989), Tyr (1990), Cross Purposes (1994) and Forbidden (1995). The last 4 of those, originally issued by the now defunct IRS, have been unavailable since that label originally went tits up in 1996. I assume The Eternal Idol is not included here due to licensing issues and the fact that it received the deluxe reissue treatment in 2010. According to what I have read the first 3 discs in question have been re-mastered, with Forbidden being remixed by Tony Iommi as he was never happy with how the album sounded as originally produced by Body Count’s Ernie C..
For now we only have the songs Headless Cross and Anno Mundi to consider, though I’m sure more tracks will be released in the weeks ahead. As I’ve had the original CD’s since they were released I played the previously released versions first against these new ones. The 2024 remasters have a clarity and oomph that the ’89 and ’90 issues lack- who doesn’t want to hear some of their favorite music sounding even better? If these tracks are a sign of things to come, I’m stoked… I take that back. I’m fucking THRILLED.
For those that say it ain’t Sabbath without Ozzy I say blow it out your hoop. I’ve listened to the band all the way through and as a lifelong fan I know I’m not the only one to feel that the Tony Martin-era of the band produced some of their best work, sadly lost to history… until now. The Anno Domini box set will be available on CD and vinyl as well as digitally, and I will be purchasing all three. For myself and thousands of other fans like me, May 31st can’t come soon enough. I’ll be doing a feature length review for Gonzo and an hour-long special for 365 Radio.
https://store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/artists/black-sabbath/anno-domini-4cd/603497834525.html
JUST WANNA HAVE FUN Mike Goudreau (independent) ****
JUST WANNA HAVE FUN As you might suspect from the title this is a disc of good time blues. The Mike Goudreau Band is in smooth, fine form, and Just Wanna Have Fun- Mike’s 23rd independent release- is a set of light and bouncy blues to make you smile wide as you tap your feet.
Just Wanna Have Fun is 12 tracks in all, 9 brand spankin’ new tunes plus 3 re-arranged originals from Goudreau’s vast catalog. For this one he reached out to some of Montreal’s finest jazz players; Richard Irwin on drums, Norman Lachappelle on bass, Paul Shrofel on keys, Frank Young on Gypsy Jazz guitar, and legendary harp player Guy Belanger. You’ll find quite a wide range of grooves and feels on JWHF, from swinging jazz to jump blues, funk and more. No wonder Goudreau’s music has been featured in dozen of movies and network TV shows since 2007. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he has a smooth voice and a touch on the frets like Duke Robillard either… his music could feel at home almost anywhere.
Just Wanna Have Fun was produced by Mike along with Dany Roy who also plays tenor sax, trumpet and flute on the disc. There’s a lightness of being to this album that makes what could’ve been a down and out number like Can’t Quit You (no relation to the Willie Dixon classic) buoyant and eminently likeable, and Happy Since You’ve Gone is downright jaunty. Then The MGB turn around on the very next number (Big Black Dog) and throw down some convincing funk. While the blues runs through virtually every song here, this an eclectic bunch of numbers that entertains. On the main I think it’s alright to call it light jazz on a blues chassis.
I hesitate to call Just Wanna Have Fun ‘smooth jazz’ with the stigma attached to such a label, though this feels like an album with a similar broad appeal. As I listened the most prominent thought was “I don’t see how anybody can NOT like this!” Beautiful musicianship, sharp production and the overall sense of- well, fun- make this a joy to listen to. You can find this at CDbaby and on Mike’s website.
HOT TRACKS: Don’t Want To Go To Work, Au Revoir Not Goodbye, Happy Since You’ve Gone
ON THE RIDE HERE Sam Morrow (Copaco/ Blues Elan Records) *****
ON THE RIDE HERE This one is real interesting. Five albums into his career now, Morrow makes his own distinctive brand of modern-day American roots music. On The Ride Here is a mix of roadhouse rock and bluesy R&B. I’d like to meet the guy that decided to call this “country-fried funky- tonk” and shake his hand; inspired and crazy accurate.
On first listen, for the first few cuts at least it felt like there was a certain ‘Allman-ness’ to what Sam was throwing down, maybe even a little JJ Cale. This is great stuff for driving to… “I feel like I’m searching for something” he says. “I’ve been on some kind of journey. Maybe I don’t know what I’m looking for, exactly, but I’m keeping my eyes open.” He’s called various places like Houston and LA home and you can feel some wanderlust in his music. He grew up with an appreciation for punk, hip-hop and ZZ Top, but an appetite for the vices that often accompany living the rock & roll dream landed him in rehab as a teen. Sam has traveled some hard miles for sure, and you can feel that in almost every note on the disc.
Morrow eventually got a firm grasp on sobriety in Los Angeles and chose to stay there. Living so far away from his birthplace in Texas gave him a new appreciation for the country music he once ignored as a Texan, and he began filtering those sounds into his own music, mashing them together with a touch of southern boogie with a side of Freddie King-style electric blues, the Tex Mex of Los Lobos and the desert rock of Queens Of The Stone Age. You wouldn’t expect sounds so disparate to make any sense together, but in Sam’s hands they do.
On The Ride Here was produced by longtime collaborator Eric Corne with an all-star roster of West Coast musicians who understood implicitly what Morrow was after, and he couldn’t be happier. “I try to remain mindful and present Sam notes. “I try to learn something I didn’t know before and with this album, I think I’ve learned what my sound is.” The aforementioned ‘country-fried funky-tonk’ is what that sound is, and it’s a marvel to behold.
HOT TRACKS: St. Peter, Medicine Man, Thunderbird Motel
