Lettieri, Mark: Can I Tell You Something?

Guitarist, Composer, Producer, Instructor along with being a member of Snarky Puppy, The Fearless Flyers and his own group, we’ve got a busy man to discuss today. I had the pleasure of seeing both The Mark Lettieri Group (in trio form) and Snarky Puppy last year, and both blew me away. Lettieri’s latest Can I Tell You Something? is not a guitar hero album, although Lettieri and crew have the chops to blow your head off. What you get are excellent songs, lyrical lead guitar work, and plenty of variation to keep you at full attention.

For me, Lettieri’s sweet spot is when he gets funky, there is just something about his feel and groove that captures my ear. “Dragonfly� opens up the album, and I believe it is the first single, and you get unison playing between Lettieri and keyboardist Daniel Porter. This one is a rocker, perfect way to get things started. Drummer Jason “JT� Thomas (Snarky Puppy) and Bassist Wes Stephenson are locked in and set a great groove throughout. “Canyon Run� is sneaky good, hearing those keyboard counter parts, and Lettieri’s soulful playing. During his solo section, the band leans into that groove I was talking about and won’t let go. “Black Iris� features acoustic guitar, and terrific violin courtesy of Zach Brock, what starts out as a slow acoustic track, explodes with that wonderful violin playing. Mark’s lead phrasing on the funky “Blankworld� is one of my favorite moments, this one starts out rather moody, but the band just sinks into this one and get cranking. A Tasteful cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit “Time After Time� also connects with some punch from Lettieri at the end.

When you listen to the tracks, there is an attention to detail that I really like. Tight arrangements, and nuances you won’t pick up from a casual listen. An example is “Shimmy Tiger� and how well that simple lick underneath the solo just creates an amazing groove. I always come back to tasteful when I think of Mark’s playing, he just hits all the right notes for me. “Saturday Stuff� and the closer “Gemstone� are my favorite tracks, funk and groove ooze from their pores, infectious! Don’t sleep on Lettieri’s rhythm guitar work either, make sure to listen closely.

We have another winner from Mr. Lettieri, an excellent collection of songs that catch your ear, make you want to get up and move. You really can’t ask for more than that, can you? Can I tell you something? Mark Lettieri and his band kick ass!!

Track List:
1. Dragonfly
2. Canyon Run
3. Black Iris
4. Blankworld
5. Time After Time
6. Shimmy Tiger
7. Saturday Stuff
8. Greenspace
9. Neural Net
10. Gemstone

Added: July 23rd 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 233
Language: english

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