Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective
     Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
SubscribeAbout UsFeaturesNewsReviewsMoviesConcert ReviewsTop 10ResourcesContact Us
 
Home
Subscribe
About Us
Features
News

Album Reviews
Movies
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

 
Nothing But the Bass ... Live At the Troubadour
Artist: Steve Lawson
Label: UK Indie 
Length: 8 tracks/52.30

Sample

Solo albums from bass guitarists are rare creatures. The breed which actually fits the "solo bass" tag is rarer still. But such an animal is Steve Lawson's debut release, recorded live at London's under appreciated Troubadour and treading a path somewhere on the experimental side of jazz.

Loops and samples abound, as Lawson carefully builds up his backing with the assistance of a range of high-tech toys. The heavily layered sound which results is some of the mellowest you're likely to hear, but retains its experimental edge with a range of sounds and tones which are rarely heard from an instrument whose usual role is rhythmical.

That ability to develop melody and rhythm together in a solo setting is what allows Steve Lawson to venture into territory that few bass players do. The result may be too mellow for a few listeners, and there is the odd occasion where the balance seems to slip a little- the highlight for me is probably the one studio track, "Bittersweet" on which Lawson is joined by pianist Jez Carr--but given that these recordings weren't even produced with the intention of release this is a relaxing and compelling release.

James Stewart  09/29/2000
 
 

James Stewart is a writer, web-designer and student based near London, UK. He co-ordinates the Greenbelt website and runs the Britlinks website, dedicated to Christian involvement in British and Irish music.

 

 

   
  Copyright © 1996 - 2000 The Phantom Tollbooth