Smokin' Medicine Show

Rick McCracken - Smokin Medecine Show

Rick McCracken’s first solo album after working as a guitarist in
Bay Area clubs. In this album he blends multiple genres, ranging
from jazz to folk. You will find that Rick consistently fits in guitar
solos in all the songs, and that he likes to mess around with his
singing style. Overall, a very good album. Would recommend
tracks 2 and 3.

1. Psychedelic Sock Hop: Pretty upbeat track. Somewhat dissonant guitar. Nice stuttering vocals at times. Interesting resonating instrumental portion in the song. Ends abruptly with sounds of what seems to be a storm (3:32)
2. Female Razor: Starts out as slow. I like Rick’s slightly slurred vocals. Great chorus to sing along to. After 3 minutes, it turns into a bit more funky beat (with an awesome watery guitar solo). Fades out in the end. (5:05)
3. Now Nothing: Jazzy feel to this track. Great use of brass and background singers for the chorus. Solos all around. (5:02)
4. If You Please: Interesting intro with a bit of dialogue and sounds of wind. Slow, melancholic, cinematic. Sounds slightly like christmas music to me. Echoing background singing. Track pretty much ends at 5:13 (ends with 20 seconds of wind). (5:33)
5. The World Turns Into The Land: Some sort of monologue. Restless guitar and cymbals in the background. (1:45)
6. One Taste Is Too Many: Funky guitar riffs in this one. Very jumpy bass and brass. Nice use of an organ. (5:21)
7. It’s Her Money: Classic rock, fast paced piano. Same slurred vocals from track 2. Kind of sounds like an Elvis Presley track. (4:23)
8. The Ballad of the West Coast Sheiks: Groovy track, with smooth jumpy riffs. Multiple vocalists at times. Some lyrics in Spanish. (4:21)
9. Slow Motion Nose Dive: Cinematic piano, focus on lyrics. Grows into a folk-like track. (5:03)
10. Almost Home: Seems to prolong track 9. Rick manages to add in some synthesizers. No vocals (1:03).

Tristan