I have no objectivity when it comes to Barrett Martin's music - not anymore. I had not known what to expect when The Painted Desert, Martin's 2004 debut solo album, arrived in my mailbox. All I knew was Martin had worked behind two of my favorite rock singers ever and I was curious about this "world music" thing he was doing. When Desert arrived, I read the liner notes before I listened to a single note and my interest grew. Martin seemed a hell of an interesting guy. He traveled the world studying different forms of music and learning new instruments and also underwent a serious spiritual journey of his own leading to a Lay Ordination in the practice of Soto Zen.
I was captivated from the opening notes of the declaratory "Muhammad Ali" to the closing sounds of the lovely "The Diamond Path." I take music seriously and I fall in love with it easily. I have made bold proclamations time and time again about my love for a song, album, or artist only to see my interest wane. I admit it - I wondered if The Painted Desert would still be interesting or enjoyable to me after the newness had worn.
It has been nearly a year since I received a copy of The Painted Desert. Since then, I have purchased Wayward Shamans' Alchemy CD, a collaborative work Martin took a leading role in shaping, in anticipation of and to bridge the gap until the release of a second solo album. One year later and the magic of that Desert is still powerful enough that I revisit it often. Alchemy is good but it turns out it was unnecessary - at least for the purpose of tiding me over until Martin could release a new solo album. The Painted Desert was more than enough to hold me over until the release of Earthspeaker.
When I once again saw the FastHorse Recordings label affixed to a package in my mailbox a couple weeks ago, I could not wait until I got back into my apartment to open the envelope. I guess I am still that impatient kid on Christmas morning when new music arrives. I began perusing the tracklist on the back of Earthspeakerand my attention was immediately drawn to the album's opener, "Agbadza." The title, derived from the name of a Ghanaian rhythm, sounded very familiar to me I wondered: could this be the same song that opens Wayward Shamans' Alchemy? It turns out the basic melody and song structure are the same, although there are differences between the two versions. The Wayward Shamans' version includes some harmonious vocalizations. Those are gone from Earthspeaker. The vocal passages have been replaced by increased use of horns and the addition of a flute. The Earthspeaker version has been slowed slightly. At the moment, "Agbadza" is my favorite song on both of the two albums on which it appears.
Of the next two tracks, "The Tipping Point" is my favorite. "Pattern Recognition" is quite good as well. Three songs in and we have a winner, right? I think so, but fourth track "She Smiles" is just a little too sweet for me. It is nowhere near terrible but it does not feel like it gels well with the previous three songs.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i've only heard snippets of this music on some podcast i found in a gutter somewhere.
still, it was great stuff. i think i need both of these records.
2 - DJRadiohead
I think you need them, too. EO would love it if you clicked those Amazon links and bought two copies of each.
Cool that someone was spinning them on a podcast. Awesome. Nice to know somebody knows where it's at.
Thanks for checking out the review. Two excellent albums.
3 - Mark Saleski
...EO would love it if you clicked those Amazon links and bought two copies of each.
ya, so would i. except that my recent acquisition of the "big box 'o bob" has certain repercussions.
4 - DJRadiohead
I understand repercussions. I am treading lightly at my house, too. Compromise- make it one copy of each disc. Really good music.