Monday, October 25, 2010

Ralph Atkinson - Spaghetti Western Serenade

Hear The Track Here

I must admit to a certain liking for these kinds of themes too and I am wondering if there is something in the air because I have been working on a couple of tunes in this manner and I am never surprised to find that it something that a great many people will latch on to. A musical meme if you like. It's been exactly a year since I made this musicians acquaintance with Building A Time Machine (October 2009), a damn near perfect blues ballad (yep) that definitely hit my pleasure centres.

Over the year since then I have heard a great many of Ralph's tracks but none of them, so far, have been able to match the rightness of that first track. Nonetheless, his rock based style and songwriting ability has stood the test of time and that counts for something. As do many people who follow his musical exploits, a tasteful refined musician who - seemingly - can take on any guise. While I do get the spag western link, this track is just so much more. For a start, the man knows cool and the lead on this track is the very definition of cool. Mind you, the piano gives as good as it gets but if we start talking about how good the music is, we'll be here all day.

See, regardless of my own personal likes and dislikes, I do like a good, seasoned musician. One who has learned from experience, who knows what works and what doesn't. Mind you, when he plays the blues is definitely my favourite Atkinson trait, but I have no qualms about this track either. From performance to production to some absolutely inspired arrangement, this track works on every level known to man. Can't quite see the Latin connection though, other than the subject matter and a smattering of horns, what this track is more than anything is jazz. Cool jazz. Shaken not stirred.

MUST HAVE hot tamale.

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