| Chapman, Michael / Trainsong : Guitar Compositions 1967-2010 |
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| Album: | Trainsong : Guitar Compositions 1967-2010 | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | Chapman, Michael | Added: | May 2012 | |
| Label: | Tompkins Square | |||
| A-File Activity |
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| Add Date: | 2012-09-28 | Pull Date: | 2012-11-30 |
| Week Ending: | Dec 2 | Oct 28 | Oct 21 |
| Airplays: | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Nov 29, 2012: | The Sunset Life Ponchatoulah | 4. | Oct 25, 2012: | The Sunset Life Rockport Sunday | |
| 2. | Oct 26, 2012: | no voices aloud Sweet Little Friend From Georgia, Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime | 5. | Oct 19, 2012: | The Songsmith Show Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime | |
| 3. | Oct 26, 2012: | The Songsmith Show Sensimilia | 6. | Oct 18, 2012: | The Sunset Life The Last Polish Breakfast |
| Album Review |
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| Be Sharp Reviewed 2012-09-08 | ||
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Englishman Michael Chapman (b 1941) is a folk-ish singer/songwriter/guitarist. This 2CD compilation is just solo guitar work, and he’s a very good guitarist indeed (both finger picking and flat picking). Guitars and tunings are listed in the notes: most tracks are on acoustic guitars; a few use two different resonator guitars; just a couple are electric. Solo guitar. No FCC issues. Disc 1 1 Mid-fast. Heavy on the bass strings. Circular, mesmerizing theme. (5:26) 2 Mid-fast. Similar to #1. Even heavier bass runs. Shimmering sound on treble. (8:51) 3 Mid-fast. Using a slide on a resonator in a flattened tuning. Sounds like practice. (4:08) 4 * Mid-slow. Layers of different sound and technique make this one interesting. (5:04) 5 ** Mid-tempo, bluesy, soulful. Call & response b/t different ranges on the guitar. (3:30) 6 ** Fast. A slightly country-ish toe-tapper. Very technical. A lot of fun. (4:00) 7 Mid-slow. New Agey & pastoral. Lots of dreamy arpeggios. (4:14) 8 Slow, bluesy crawl on a Fender Stratocaster with knobs set to maximum hum. (3:22) 9 Mid-tempo, then faster. A playful little ditty (a few bars long) played over & over. (2:37) 10 Mid-fast. Similar to 1,2. Foggy, shimmering amorphousness, goes round & round (6:44) 11 ** Fast. Finger-style tour de force reminiscent of “Classical Gas.” Impressive. (2:23) 12 * Mid-tempo. Pretty, singable folk-style melody backed up with a lot of depth. (3:45) 13 Mid-tempo. Heavy bass line, lots of string bending, some harmonic overtones. (5:06) Disc 2 1 *** Mid-tempo. Country blues like Taj Mahal’s “Fishin Blues.” Very nice picking. (2:45) 2 Mid-tempo. Pleasant background music. More a calm, soothing feeling than a song. (3:38) 3 ** Mid-fast. A fun, bluesy lick played on a resonator. Played a bit loose. (3:38) 4 * Fast & fun. Funky on bass strings, showy on treble up & down the neck. (4:33) 5 Mid-tempo. Lazy, hazy, and all mellowed out, as the name implies. (5:14) 6 Mid-tempo. Yet another piece of nice, mellow background music. (3:09) 7 ** Mid-fast, powerful & compelling. Middle section played with a slide. (4:07) 8 * Slow. Like an old English folk song. (Think of “Greensleeves”) (2:16) 9 * Mid-tempo, lively. Like the accompaniment of a folk song. (3:12) 10 * Mid-tempo. Bluesy. Hard, dramatic playing on a resonator with a slide. (2:17) 11 Fast, yet still peaceful & calming. Impressionistic (but I can’t say of what). (3:38) 12 Mid-tempo. Dirty, funky, swampy, bluesy riffs on electric guitar. (5:20) 13 Mid-fast. An unusual blend of feelings. Opens with a somewhat Classical style (though on steel strings), then adds some real bluesy string bending. (7:53) | ||
| Track Listing |
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