Sunday, February 08, 2009
First Review For New Album DAN GARNER IV
Here is a first review of my new album, DAN GARNER IV by Karl Hasten:
DAN GARNER 1V
“IV” kicks off with the neo-punk urgency of “Wild” and ends with a complete three-sixty on the sweet acoustic coda of “Calling of Your Heart.”
In between, Garner has crafted his most consistent and cohesive body of work rocking through a number of style-checks from such icons as Bowie, Alvin Lee and, dare I say, Nick Drake. There is even an understated homage to psychedelia – on the appropriately titled, “Something Strange.”
As always Garner liberally deploys his secret weapon, the virtuosic guitarist Mark Griffith who here flows fluidly from searing to plaintive with the blink of an eye. Griffith lets a “Jean Genie” riff out of the bottle on the rocking “In Love, On Fire, Not Ashamed” and lets his guitar gently weep along with the singer on “Happy Birthday To Me”. The latter song is a lament to loneliness that is tight, country blues perfection.
Though Garner never sounds LIKE any one particular artist, he deftly sprinkles subtle musical references throughout the CD’s ten impressive cuts. Rock is the dominant language here with a vibrant energy percolating in many of the pieces, yet the folk/blues/roots undercurrents are shaded in with an artist’s touch.
Most recording artists have a defining moment where all their influences and experience and daring coalesce into a masterwork that catapults them to another level - arguably “Rubber Soul” for The Beatles, “Highway 61 Revisited” for Dylan, and so on. In my humble opinion this one shows Garner has the legs to go the distance. “IV” is a X.
DAN GARNER 1V
“IV” kicks off with the neo-punk urgency of “Wild” and ends with a complete three-sixty on the sweet acoustic coda of “Calling of Your Heart.”
In between, Garner has crafted his most consistent and cohesive body of work rocking through a number of style-checks from such icons as Bowie, Alvin Lee and, dare I say, Nick Drake. There is even an understated homage to psychedelia – on the appropriately titled, “Something Strange.”
As always Garner liberally deploys his secret weapon, the virtuosic guitarist Mark Griffith who here flows fluidly from searing to plaintive with the blink of an eye. Griffith lets a “Jean Genie” riff out of the bottle on the rocking “In Love, On Fire, Not Ashamed” and lets his guitar gently weep along with the singer on “Happy Birthday To Me”. The latter song is a lament to loneliness that is tight, country blues perfection.
Though Garner never sounds LIKE any one particular artist, he deftly sprinkles subtle musical references throughout the CD’s ten impressive cuts. Rock is the dominant language here with a vibrant energy percolating in many of the pieces, yet the folk/blues/roots undercurrents are shaded in with an artist’s touch.
Most recording artists have a defining moment where all their influences and experience and daring coalesce into a masterwork that catapults them to another level - arguably “Rubber Soul” for The Beatles, “Highway 61 Revisited” for Dylan, and so on. In my humble opinion this one shows Garner has the legs to go the distance. “IV” is a X.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
New CD, "DAN GARNER IV" Now Available!!
Click here to buy my CD.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, "25 THINGS" and "The Second Album" are only available on iTunes...
