Great Follow-Up To Belo Horizonte
A. Davis | Greenville, SC | 07/17/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Mclaughlin follows up the beautiful "Belo Horizonte" with "Music Spoken Here." Appropriately titled, this recording captures some of Mac's best acoustic guitar to date. Known for his long sustained notes on electric axe, Mac is fast and fleeting on the nylon strings. There is added bounce in his step as he glides through beautiful melodies with solid back-up from his band. This music will stick with you and is great to listen to at the end of a tough day. The cover of Egberto Gismont's "Loro" is my favorite. I would love to hear John make another recording like this - it puts a smile on my face. Enjoy!"
McLaughlin is a one-of-a-kind marvel...even on acoustic!
D. Gorman "Crystalline Structure M | 04/29/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Pure McLaughlin! Even on acoustic, McLaughlin just shines as a talent that can't be compared to anyone else! There are one or two cover tunes on this album, which JM does find a way to make them work, so the album is fantastic. Still, the presence of these tunes that are not original help drag the album down to a 4-star (but still wonderful) level. Also, there is a very funky tune that has some electric guitar, but the electric guitar doesn't go anywhere. It sits on one riff meant to carry a song without a solo. It just about works, but was still a little disappointing. JM's guitar virtuosity is highlighted throughout most of this spectacular album. Song selection is very good for at least 90% of the album. The original songs all shine with JM's very unique style of writing. The band is very good as well, although I am writing this at a time when I don't have the CD in front of me, so I can't recall some of the other players. I do remember Katia Lebeque of The Lebeque Sisters plays some brilliant electric keyboards on this album. This is a great straight jazz album, with notable performances by the bassist and drummer. If you like McLaughlin's take on acoustic guitar and jazz, this is definitely an album that's worth a listen...and as always with McLaughlin, if you're a guitarist, you need to hear this!"
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1