[Harp-L] Gregoire Maret 'AMERICANA" review

[Slim Heilpern]

I'm just popping in here to offer an alternate opinion.  It's a beautiful album featuring the great Bill Frisell, who in addition to various guitars plays banjo on this album. There's also Romain Collin who in addition to tasty piano adds some synth work, and very tasty drumming on some cuts by the great Clarence Penn. The pace of the album is indeed very contemplative and to my ears has a very strong American traditional music flavor. Grégoire's playing is beautifully understated, completely appropriate for the styles on display here. 

Different strokes....

- Slim

> On Jul 23, 2020, at 8:23 PM, Randy Singer <randy at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Has anyone listened to the new CD from Gregoire Maret, “AMERICANA”?
> 
> As a born American raised on American music, I was expecting songs on this CD that reflected my life in American music, arguably the greatest era of pop music.
> 
> I went searching for these qualities, given the name of the CD, “Americana”.
> 
> Aaron Copland/Ennio Morrioni/Western thematics
> Gospel or blues influences
> Rock and roll vibes
> Progressive or traditional jazz songs
> Songs of the Great American Road
> Bluegrass or Country stylings.
> RnB or Funk
> 
> I found NONE of these influences on this album (with the exception of a very disorientating and discombobulated  version of Wichita Lineman) and other non-descript songs that kind of wander around various key changes. 
> 
> This album should not have been called AMERICANA since it lacks any relevance to Americana music.
> 
> It sounds like a lugubrious and amorphous, much slower version of the GREAT Toots album called SLOW MOTION (minus the great songwriting) and called it "NO MOTION” or "NO EMOTION” (instead of Slow Motion) instead of AMERICANA, LOL
> 
> Is this is the EMPEROR that wore no clothes or the "chromatic version" of sugar blue and John popper? Lots of notes, no doubt.
> 
> Give it a listen, is it your desert island record that you will be influenced by and wear out the grooves with joy?
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/album/2lfX30k8kJIaTbPBgKy4dX <https://open.spotify.com/album/2lfX30k8kJIaTbPBgKy4dX>
> 
> RS
> 
>