Search - Chris Duarte :: Romp

You laughed, you cried, you kissed your money goodbye!

William C. Brown | New Castle, PA United States | 10/03/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"let me open by saying there is probably no bigger defender of chris duarte than me in the north east, having seen him many times with various lineups, and in various venues. now with that said let me also say i am a firm believer that the FIRST ALBUM (texas sugar, strat magik as the case may be here) of ANY band is always the best, both creatively, and preformance wise. i reluctantly stick by that belief upon listening to this cd. i did so want this album to come out of the jewel case smoking, having just seen them 2 months ago live with ed miles (monster drummer, just what the doctor ordered)and john jordan back in the fold. in my opinion 3 tunes work on this collection, "do the romp" savage, brutal power chords, interesting raw to the bone, "fire's gone out" a very up tempo tasty admission to a failed romance, and last but not least, "Bb blues" a very austinesque flavored shuffle, sure to set your toes a tappin'. the rest gets kinda lost, a bit too much self indulgence, a little too much "eric johnson, jimi", and go figure on "last night" ?!?!?!?!?! chris, you "kill" live, i say consider a live album or do one with chris being, well, CHRIS!"

More than blues, much more...

Richard Pratt | alpharetta, GA United States | 09/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sorry, nice folks ..., but the clips cannot convey the depth and breadth of Chris Duarte's masterful new album. This is a spectacular offering from a real guitar virtuoso, whose tonal pallete is as rich as that of any player I have ever heard. If you think of Chris Duarte as 'just' a Texas techno flash guitar slinger, then think again. Certainly, musical references to Hendrix and Stevie Ray are not hard to find but they are conveyed in a context that Duarte makes his own: this is mastery, not mimicry. This album is an absolute treat and after playing it about 30 times I still hear something new every time I hit 'play'. I have only heard the excellent 'Strat Magic' album previously but this is a whole new ball game, and better. Air guitarists will not be able to resist Romp, 101 or Like Eric, whilst dyed in the wool blues fans will slake their thirst on numbers like B flat Blues and Take It To The Lord. However the album's tour de force is Last Night. This is just under 10 minutes of brooding malevolence and possessed (yet controlled) guitar playing. Frankly it is worth buying the album for by itself. Mention should also be made of Duarte's strong, but never overbearing, vocals and the production is wonderfully open and detailed: I could have sworn this was analog recording (it wasn't!). Two recommendations: buy this album and play it loud."

Maybe the best

Richard Pratt | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, let me say I am a huge fan of Chris Duarte. So my opinions might be a little bias. I will try to be objective. If you are already familiar with Chirs' music then you know it's hard to put him in a neat musical catagory. That might explain why he is not as well known or appreciated like he should be (hey, I said I was a fan) I have listened to this cd about three times as of now and it's a cd that I think will grow on the listener. Chris' music is very sophisticated and raw at the same time. He is definitely influenced by many different styles of music but I would say blues is probably his biggest influence. I am still drawn to his first cd: Texas Sugar Strat Magic- If you haven't heard it, it's awesome and you should check it out. The producer of that album was Dennis Herring (producer of Buddy Guy's last two cd's) He was also the producer and mixer of Romp. To me Romp sounds like a very raw and live album. Which I'm sure is how it was recorded. But in my opinion, that's it's strength. Chris and his band plays with a lot of emotion and that really comes through on this cd. The cd opens up with a very "heavy" blues, swamp song called Romp (title cut) very cool and bluesy. The next song is 101. I think I know why it is called 101(an instrumental): It's basically a lesson in the hendrix blues guitar style, but it's all Chris. The next song is The Fire's gone out. A really great rhythm really drives this song. This in my opinion is probably the most commercial type song on the cd. Great Song!! Next up is Like Eric ( as in Eric Johnson) think cliffs of dover. But again, it's all chris. The man is a master of different guitar styles. My My is next. Followed by a Bob Dylan Song, One more cup of coffee. Though I haven't heard the original, this is the type of song that can grow on you. I think Chris is reaching for new sounds and styles and has really worked on his vocals. And it sounds good. The last three songs are: Last Night, Mr Neighbor, and Take it to the lord (kind of a blues, gospel song all at once. These are all great songs and need to be heard by the individual listener. Mr Neighbor is kind of peculiar but it works. My initial impression is this is the best cd Chris has done since Texas Sugar Strat magic. It's very raw and in your face but with some mellower points along the way. Chris' music really is hard to catagorize. I've heard they are going to sell this one in the pop/rock section where as before he was always in the blus section. The thing I like about The Chris Duarte group is they are always reaching for something and even if they don't find it, it's fun to hear. By the way, John Jordan is the bass player and he is fantastic. He and chris have been partners in crime for years. New drummer, Ed Miles is solid as a rock and seems to be a keeper. (this group has been thru a million drummers- I think they wear them out-I hope this guy sticks) All in all this is a GREAT cd. Music should not be as competitive as it is but in the world of pretty faces and guitar slingers Chris wins the finest instrumentalist award. That's why Kenny wayne drives a limo to the show and Chris pulls up in a van. But when in comes to playing, watch out. I would love to see Chris become better known by more people. He deserves it and people deserve to hear someone who is as talented as he is. But sometimes there is not a lot of justice in the world. Ok, I will stop now. Buy The cd, You won't be sorry!"