Quah

Re-released 1974 solo album by the guitarist from Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, with some added strings and brass on some tracks; last 4 previously unreleased. Classic sweet folk style acoustic guitar, makes ya feel good. Also some blues tunes, and some stuff in between. Nice, confident Tom Petty-tinged vocals (more melodic than Tom). Overall sound, even on the blues tracks, is mellow and cheerful. Nice guitar work. Most all are good, playable tracks. Play any. (OK, 3’s a bit cheesy, and 5’s walking the line, but they’re still pretty.)

*1. (4:20) midtempo, melodic; added strings.
2. (3:10) mellow ramblin’ stroll. Traditional spiritual. Long guitar break.
3. (2:53) slow, wistful, emphatic beat; echoey, sometimes-doubled vocals; added strings.
*4. (2:17) jangly dissonant strums, midtempo,bluesy (instrumental)
5. (4:07) About sailin thru the clouds. Easy, flowin’, added strings and French horns
*6. (2:56) plodding stroll, bluesy, minor key
*7. (3:48) slow intro, then bouncy traditional spiritual. catchy syncopation
8. (3:45) good ol’ blues—travellin’ man song about a woman.
9. (4:06) slow blues, vocals by Tom Hobson, haunting guitar.
*10. (2:41) midtempo goofy-lyricked Hawaii song, sunny and twangy. Vocals by Tom Hobson
*11. (4:42) fast strutting song, complex guitar melody, lots of soloing
*12. (3:19) folksy instrumental stroll, traveling through blues country
13. (4:47) slow groovin’ blues; vocals by Tom Hobson—lost his woman
*14. (2:14) wistful cross-country folksy ramble (instrumental) (Midnight in Milpitas!)
*15. (4:42) kind of goofy mocking cowboy ballad (about the decline in popularity of cowboy cliché legends?) Spanishy minor key with country harmony vocals (END of track, after a pause, has weird faux? promo for Jorma Kaukonen’s solo album, over him playing guitar.)

--reviewed by mandy (la chanteuse)