Gayle Ellett & The Electromags: Friends

Friends is the sophomore release from former Djam Karet guitarist Gayle Ellett and his collection of bandmates and guests; The Electromags. Per Mr. Ellett, “I wanted to capture that feeling of hanging out on your deck, playing music with your friends under the stars all night long�. According to the album's creator, if you want maximum enjoyment, put those headphones on. Before you go any further, let me congratulate Mr. Ellett, as I think he achieved his goal.

13 Tracks of all instrumental music, kicking things off with the bluesy jam “Viewer Discretion Advised� courtesy of Ted Price on Hammond organ. “The Many Moods of Morgan� features some cool minimoog and guitar, but the arrangement and transitions at times feel clumsy, but, this is friends together having fun, right? The Rhodes kicks in and the track transitions to a spacey vibe, and floats off into the ether at the end. “Via Valencia� wraps itself around you with its chill vibe of Rhodes and simple but effective guitar lines. The winner for the funniest song title is “It’s All San Andreas’ Fault�, and I definitely got a good laugh when I read that one, but this track also has that clumsy fumbling feel that happens from time to time on this disc. The tracks fall in the 3-6 minute range, and you get guitar and keyboards on lead throughout. Blues guitarist Dudley Taft shows some fine chops on “Splitting Hairs� and my favorite track on the album “Guitar City� features Paul Richards of The California Guitar Trio, the slide guitar work adds a nice touch and variation. Lucio Calegari and German Vergara deliver some killer soloing in “Sons of Sebastien� but as stated previously, the drum fills just seem odd to me and take something from the track. That’s another issue, I can’t say I am fond of the drum sound on the entire disc, they sound tinny.

This is definitely a fun album, and I think the loose vibe is intentional. Imagine what a blast this was for Ellett to make with his friends, and although my rating is on the low side, it is an enjoyable listen. I have to be honest, to my ears some flaws grab my attention, but, I also feel that it’s in the spirit that this album was created, vibe over perfection. Check it out, this might just be your jam.

Track List:
1. Viewer Discretion Advised
2. The Many Moods of Morgan
3. Via Valencia
4. It’s All San Andreas’ Fault
5. TransPacific Highway
6. Splitting Hairs
7. Maximum Connection
8. Three Parsecs From Tucson
9. Marla’s Lakeside Drive
10. Guitar City
11. Sons of Sebastien
12. Bueno Sanga
13. 1960 Ocean Front walk

Added: January 11th 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
Hits: 354
Language: english

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