Search - Gary Lucas :: Improve the Shining Hour

Lucas' Biograph

BB | Whitmore Lake, MI USA | 06/27/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(...)If Gary Lucas was ever a guitar rookie, it doesn't show here. This is Lucas' Biograph, his Basement Tapes: sterling songs and instrumentals that lay somewhere like loose gems in a drawer waiting for the right setting. Lucas, who has played with everyone from Leonard Bernstein to Captain Beefheart, has the true artist's need to copter again and again into fresh territory, to see how his skills and vision can interact with new forms. Included here are solo acoustic guitar pieces (some with Lucas' own vocals, something he has been too shy about), others are shimmering sheets of controlled electric sweetness. Lyrics range from the zany to the philosophical. One of the best pieces here is an earth-toned, slide guitar and tabla driven, version of "Spider Web," a song Lucas wrote with Joan Osborne and which was nominated for a Grammy. Lucas also includes a few pieces from his days with Captain Beefheart. The best of these is the the instrumental "Oat Hate" (Beefheart's name for sexual jealousy). Lucas also includes his comic side: the "Astro Boy" theme, excerpted from an unreleased (WHAT? why?) album with Peter Stampel. But, for me, the big blue diamond here is "She was Showing Me," from the "Darn It!" album. Lucas' music here is layered, skewed, with an astonishingly original and dense kind of counterpoint---this one of those Lucas tracks that makes me wonder why someone isn't calling up the Kronos Quartet and saying, "Listen to this!" Lucas is not just a good, but a brilliant composer. One wonders, how many more gems is he keeping hid?"

Eclectic array of authentic talent

BB | 07/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Blues, rock, avant garde, jazz, musical accompaniment to a narrative, African influenced, an energetic, humorous children's tune, and what the CD jacket describes well as "sensuous dementia" - this record draws a little from a lot of categories. The amazing thing is how well executed they all are. Gary Lucas seems to be afraid to tackle nothing and these tracks include solo instrumentals, his own vocals, and vocals by others, including Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart), the delicate voice of Eli Medeiros, the raw power of Eric Mingus, and the husky but expressive David Johansen. The eclecticism is only one appeal. There simply isn't an unmemorable track on the album. The understated beauty of the Latin influenced "Dulce" is spotlighted by Eli Medeiros' sweet vocals. It's a song that makes you want to cuddle up to someone special on the dance floor with its sensuous flavor. My favorite song on this CD is "Breath of Bones," which defines its own sound that is very difficult to categorize neatly in a box of perfectly designed criteria. The beginning solo electric guitar with effects creates a psychedelic aura that foretells an unknown event that promises to thrill. Vocals, which appear later, are by Lucas, whose low, seductive (almost) whisperings accent perfectly this totally funky creation. As with most innovative and intelligent music, these are songs that seem to present a new facet each time you listen to them. I found this especially true with his Grammy-nominated song, "Spider Web," vocally interpreted here by a very bluesy David Johansen. One can almost imagine the song, "Follow" as a Broadway tune with a broad vocal range from Richard Barone Although people have unique tastes which, of course, necessitates that we won't all enjoy the same type of music, I will venture to say that with so much talent rolled into so many different avenues on this album, I think it virtually impossible that one will not discover at least one tune which really grabs hold and stays with you. This album is an excellent reply posed by the question, "So, what kind of music does Gary Lucas play?""