Three Flights From Alto Nido

by

Greg Laswell

Edit

This CD improves with repeated listening. Several pieces tend to begin quiety then increase to a larger sound. I like it better every time I play it. The pieces definitely pick up towards the end, from track 7 -10 particularly. Singer/songwriter Laswell plays piano, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonium, bells, organ and bass -- variety of talents, huh?

Tracks:

1 -- It's been a year: mellow acoustic guitar 7/10

2 -- That it moves: has a radio play sound, many instruments with some sweeping melodies 8/10

3 -- The one I love: Reflective lyrics with slow, driving melody 8/10

4 -- Comes and goes: gentle acoustic guitar, piano mixed in, love the lyrics (this one's for the lonely/the ones that seek and find/only to be let down/time after time/this one's for the torn down/the experts at the fall/common friends get up now/you're not alone at all...)Molly Jenson accompanies Greg's yearning tenor in a soulful mix 9/10

5 -- How the day sounds: syncopated piano chords opening, has a ColdPlay sound to it 8/10

6 -- Sweet Dream: some strings accompany his voice, gentle piece, quite short 8/10

7 -- Days go on: faster, driving rhythms, hypnotic song 9/10

8 -- I'd be lying: one of the longer pieces at 4:45, swells to a haunting chorus 9/10

9 -- Farewell: piano, guitar, banjo w/background Molly Jenson 9/10

10 -- Not out: my favorite!! soothing lyrics and music to start then at 2:34 mark builds into a fine, sexy sound 10/10

11 -- And then you: melancholy, simple guitar with piano 8/10

12 -- (hidden track)That it moves: acoustic version 7/10

If these tracks sound vaguely familiar it may be because some of Greg's music is on tv soundtracks such as Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill. Many of the songs have an intimate, brooding quality that indie rock enthusiasts will enjoy.

You should buy Laswell earlier CD "Through Toledo" (it has excellent songs with excellent sound quality)instead of this new CD. This CD you need to hear repeatedly in order to start to like it. This CD has the recognizable selections "Sweet Dream", "And Then You", and 10 other songs that are good composition but unfortuhately almost sound alike. In these 10 songs, Laswell nice vocalization is destroyed by the monotonous heavenly-sounding backup voices/chorouses whose arrangement are almost the same for all songs. The cosmic-sounding instrumentations for most songs are also monotonous as they sound the same. Might be that the CD production is done by using just two persons' ideas. There is no variation in most songs such that if you hear one song, you hear all songs already. This was not the case of the previous Laswell's "Through Toledo", which is one of the best CD you can hear. To enjoy Laswell excellent vocals and nice songs, I recommend you buy and enjoy Laswell's previous CD. instead.