Customer Reviews

Sea To The North

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fans of the Band have always been in awe of Garth Hudson's musical genius. From the Band's early days as the Hawks, to the classic 1965-66 tours with Bob Dylan, to Music from Big Pink in 1967, all the way to Jubilation in 1998, Garth Hudson has constantly enriched their music with his brilliance on the keyboards, accordian, and saxophones (as well as various other esoteric instruments!). Garth's uniqueness can be explained (but only in part) by the wide range of his musical interests--from the rock/blues/country mix of the Band, to classical music, jazz, Anglican hymns, European polkas (!), and much much more.

This, then, is the album we've been waiting for: an album that shows off the true eclectic artistry of Mr. Hudson. It is truly unique. It's (largely) instrumental, and sounds very little like a Band album...your comfort level with that may depend on how open you are to diverse musical genres & new sounds. Every track is different, and reflects a different cross-section of styles and influences...from the title track (which alone is worth the price of the album...a stunning, dark but whimsical blend of accordians, Indian percussion, saxophones, and much more) to the final track (a gorgeous, soulful tour de force on acoustic piano). I love this album...you just might too. The liner notes for the album advises the listener to "let it resonate within you, and don't be surprised to make new discoveries each time you listen"...I couldn't agree more.

Ok, I can't really describe this music - so many elements come
together here. It's not a mish-mash or styles, or noodling; it
might be called "New Age", but it has more life and character
than the average run of such music. It's not background music
for conversation; it demands attention, but in the most polite
way. I use it to clear my head and calm jangled nerves. It's
fine to come home after too much outside life and put this on
the player and cast myself down on the couch for a bit of
the best kind of music therapy.

The title track is my favorite - groaning iceberg sounds, cold
and clear and lonely in a vast surging sea. "The Breakers" is
warmer and softer; I see different images every time I hear it.
It's possible to listen to each track alone, but I think of this
as an album with perfect sequencing, taking me on a mental
journey that leaves me refreshed. I've not tried it as road
music, but I suspect it's a fine sound track for driving long
distances through empty country.

I was surprised by this album, which shouldn't have surprised me because there was no telling how Garth Hudson's first album was going to sound. Other than, of course, being excellent. He plays almost a dozen different instruments, touches on many different styles of music from different eras and continents, and gives a good display of his eccentric genius.

If you like this, and if you have an open mind you should, try the albums Largo and Stay Awake which both feature gorgeous instrumentals by Garth.

I recently heard that Garth Hudson was bankrupt and they were doing a benefit for him so he could save his house. How does one of our greatest musicians, whose albums are constantly being re-released wind up in this predicament ?. If it was only for the above reason I would have purchased this CD but lo and behold, when I received this I was overjoyed that this turns out to be one magnificent recording by a modern day musical Wizard. The compositions are dense and melodic with Garth's ideas and playing almost bursting from the tracks. This guy has more musicality and ideas in one finger then most musicians have in their head hands and feet. Buy this and sit back and be amazed. I hope some of our newer groups start calling Garth to work his magic on their recordings like he did with the Band and every musician who has worked with him (The Honeydogs come to mind as a good match). Thanks Garth, play on.

This is the unique album of the year. A solo record from
Garth Hudson is something I never expected. It's good that
he's working because two of the Band's three singers are
deceased, and the third, Levon Helm, can't sing because of
cancer. When I heard Garth would do a solo CD I anticipated
that it would be new age music, not my favorite, but I would
buy it anyway because it would be Garth. But I was surprised
and impressed by the music, consistently. This is
a sometimes quiet and subdued set of compositions but also powerful, colorful, and bold. Any of the songs, with
the exception of the "Dark Star" cover, which never seems to go
anywhere for me, could be expanded to a piece covering a whole
CD. One could say it sounds like world music but that isn't
quite right, even though it's rich with influences from Asia, Africa, and Europe. And yet it manages to sound like The Band
in spirit--can't really say how, but it's there.