Major Impacts 2 picks up right where Major Impacts left off — meaning that Steve Morse's second collection of instrumental songs inspired by his own influences embraces the true spirit of a tribute album. A treat for both casual and studious listeners, Major Impacts 2 (like its 2000 predecessor) emulates the likes of Genesis, The Who, Aerosmith, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, ZZ Top, The Yardbirds, and Emerson Lake & Palmer. Morse's compositions recall elements of such classic-rock tunes as "Abacab," "Free Bird" and "Sweet Emotion" as filtered through his prolific guitar. (He also plays keyboards and "various extraneous instruments.") Morse explains his selections and the writing process for these 13 tracks in the detailed liner notes. Or skip the explanatory passages and try to figure out which song here was influenced by Enya, which one borrows from Ted Nugent and which one was inspired by J.S. Bach. Some are obvious (more so than on Major Impacts), while others are a bit more cryptic. Morse even indulges in country and Cajun.
While Morse's accessible playing has lifted bands like Deep Purple, Kansas and the Dixie Dregs to new levels, the man performs even more confidently on solo outings. (Spend some time with 2002's Split Decision to hear what I mean.) Kudos to Magna Carta for pitching Morse not one but two projects like this and then allowing him to produce and engineer the discs with longtime musical partners Dave LaRue on bass and Van Romaine on drums — the same lineup that made Major Impacts such a gem.
Heck, I'll take a third volume of this stuff …
Track Listing
1) Wooden Music (4:56)
2) Where Are You? (3:24)
3) Errol Smith (4:37)
4) Cool Wind, Green Hills (3:54)
5) Organically Grown (3:47)
6) 12 Strings on Carnaby St. (4:38)
7) Zig Zags (4:27)
8) Abracadab (4:12)
9) Tri County Barn Dance (3:50)
10) Air on a 6 String (2:20)
11) Motor City Spirit (3:00)
12) Ghost of the Bayou (3:05)
13) Leonard's Best (4:17)
Running Time (50:34)
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