One Man's Pickle is Another Man's Gold
Geek Monkey | 10/03/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Let's put the cringe-worthy review title behind us and and talk about Mike Keneally's latest platter of creamy guitar goodness, Wine and Pickles. Comprised of music written over the last couple of years for television, albums, or in collaboration with other artists, Wine and Pickles is further proof of the seemingly limitless number of musical ideas MK and team are able to execute with a vision and flair that other artists would be left stymied by.
So what do you get with Wine and Pickles? Among the many highlights are a killer version of "Backwards Deb" from the MK/Beef for Dolphins Dancing album, a more lush version of the rockin' instrumental "Lil'", and "Inhale," a beautifully measured collaboration between MK and Lyle Workman.
All that and I've only gotten (in this review) through half the record. How about the orchestral "4S" or solo guitar piece "Thou Shalt Not Kill"? If you're a fan of Keneally's previous work, this is essential stuff, and shame on you if you don't already have it. If you're new his music, I don't know if I would necessarily start here, but one could do far worse that consider this a sampling of the type of beautifully vibrant music Mike Keneally's been making for over 20 years (if you count his great guitar work in Frank Zappa's last touring band in 1988, which I do).
Wine and Pickles. You wouldn't think they go good together, but you'd be surprised."