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Elly Roberts reviews
Drag City
- September 2007
- Rating: 10/10+
Former Sun City Girls guitarist gives a materclass on sixth studio album, and first on Drag City.
As instrumental albums go, this is one of the best youll encounter. They canoften be labouriuos affairs no such problem here. Best known as an experimentalguitarist, drawing on Indian, north African and gypsy templates, Bishop has ahabit of using unusual titles. Previously there have been Salvador Kali, Improvika,Fingering The Devil, Elektronica Demonika and now Polytheistic Fragments.
Bishop reminds me very much of dazzling duo Rodrigo y Gabriella, as he burns upthe fret board on both acoustic and electric guitars. Its not all blood and thunderthough, because he has an imaculate touch, from the Carlos Santana school. Evenon experimental moments, which, to his credit, he hasnt gone OTT, remaining focussedon keeping the listeners attention.
Its a subtle balance that works to perfection. With a flick of the wrist,rolling flamenco strums open Cross My Palm With Silver, until latermesmerising picks texture the Latino colours. There are moments when he remindsme of Led Zeppelins Jimmy Page on Free Masonic Guitar, though theresa nod to his hero Django Reinhardt in parts.
Acoustic outing Quiescent Return is beguilingly simplistic, with Rub Al Khali– an ode to the oud, a north African lute, Bishop captures the spirit of theregion with empathy and class, wheras Saraswati delves into the Hindustanisimple serenity of measured piano and rolling drone-like background instrumentation.Its his lightness of touch that creates the magic.
Again on Hecates Dream, a dream-like piece dedicated to a Greek goddess,he creates a mystical mood via improvised and sparce wiry guitarwork.
In sharp contrast, Americana styled Canned Goods And Firearms has a morecommercial edge, full-on twanging guitar a la ’60s Shadows, whilst TennesseePorch swing possesses a genteel rootsy countrified twist.
Catchiest track of the bunch is Elyium Number Five. Ecstacies In The Open Airis an exquisite, light and airy piece to close a really stunning album.
A listening album in the truest sense of the word.
Weblink:myspace.com/sirrichardbishop
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Cross My Palm With Silver
2. Hecates Dream
3. Elyium Number Five
4. Rub Al Khali
5. Free Masonic Guitar
6. Cemetery Games
7. Quiescent Return
8. Saraswati
9. Tennessee Porch Swing
10. Canned Goods And Firearms
11. Ecstasies In The Open Air
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.