MICHAEL AADAL GROUP - Pomona
(Losen LOS 158-2)
Micaheal Aadal: electric guitars; Andre Kassen: tenor saxophone; Ole-Bjorn Talstad: piano, pump organ, roland Jupiter; Anders Hofstad Soras: pedal steel, lap steel guitars; Audun Romo: acoustic bass; Gunnar Saeter: drums
Recorded February 2016 at Propeller Music Division AS, Oslo
Pomona Avenue, in Fullerton, Los Angeles, was the site of the first Fender factory. On this set, Aadal plays solid-bodied Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster. No mellifluous tones from the hollow-bodied guitar here, but the harsher, sharper sounds of these early Fender models. This is not to say that there is anything harsh or sharp in the music. All the pieces have the gentle lilt of Americana, with echoes of country music and pieces that resonate like theme tunes from movies. The overall sound has a strong element of instrumental rock, perhaps reminiscent of Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack to the film ‘Local Hero’. The compositions tend to be written in a minor key with a strong hook that builds against simple but strong rhythms. Indeed, the overall feel of the collection of songs here is an evocation of large open spaces in the US (track 1 ‘The Border’) or further afield (track 6, Iceland) or of mysterious realms, track 5, Purgatory.
Each piece works accessible and haunting melodies against the rhythm section, with Aadal’s guitar, Soras’s pedal guitar and Kassen’s saxophone combining with depth and feeling. Occasionally, one of these instruments will break into a solo, as in Kassen’s blistering attack over the closing bars of track 1, The Border.
This is a CD that I have played a great deal and enjoy very much. It is the third from this group and the interplay of instruments and maturity of the song writing is a very rewarding experience. It also further demonstrates the Losen record label’s ability to sign and produce a wide range of musical styles that deserve to reach a wide audience.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
(Losen LOS 158-2)
Micaheal Aadal: electric guitars; Andre Kassen: tenor saxophone; Ole-Bjorn Talstad: piano, pump organ, roland Jupiter; Anders Hofstad Soras: pedal steel, lap steel guitars; Audun Romo: acoustic bass; Gunnar Saeter: drums
Recorded February 2016 at Propeller Music Division AS, Oslo
Pomona Avenue, in Fullerton, Los Angeles, was the site of the first Fender factory. On this set, Aadal plays solid-bodied Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster. No mellifluous tones from the hollow-bodied guitar here, but the harsher, sharper sounds of these early Fender models. This is not to say that there is anything harsh or sharp in the music. All the pieces have the gentle lilt of Americana, with echoes of country music and pieces that resonate like theme tunes from movies. The overall sound has a strong element of instrumental rock, perhaps reminiscent of Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack to the film ‘Local Hero’. The compositions tend to be written in a minor key with a strong hook that builds against simple but strong rhythms. Indeed, the overall feel of the collection of songs here is an evocation of large open spaces in the US (track 1 ‘The Border’) or further afield (track 6, Iceland) or of mysterious realms, track 5, Purgatory.
Each piece works accessible and haunting melodies against the rhythm section, with Aadal’s guitar, Soras’s pedal guitar and Kassen’s saxophone combining with depth and feeling. Occasionally, one of these instruments will break into a solo, as in Kassen’s blistering attack over the closing bars of track 1, The Border.
This is a CD that I have played a great deal and enjoy very much. It is the third from this group and the interplay of instruments and maturity of the song writing is a very rewarding experience. It also further demonstrates the Losen record label’s ability to sign and produce a wide range of musical styles that deserve to reach a wide audience.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
