US composer and guitarist Michael Lee FIRKINS has been a recording artist for just about a quarter of a century by now, releasing his debut solo album back in 1990 and by many heralded as of the most impressive guitarists at the time. Firkins have steadily expanded his borders as his solo career has been ongoing, and especially on his last few albums there’s been a marked change to the type of music Firkins have chosen to explore. “Yep” is his sixth full length solo album, and was released through Magna Carta Records Magnatude imprint in the fall of 2013.
As far as musical style goes, Firkins’ latest album is one that have an unmistakable US sound to it. This is music as American as apple pie, the kind of album that will make you think about the land of the free and the home of the brave from start to finish. A disc that explore familiar sounds and styles it is too, but one that does it very well indeed.
There’s basically three different kinds of compositions on this production. The opening three and the concluding two tracks can, at least broadly, be sorted under the southern rock description. Playful, harder edged affairs of the kind that gives you associations to early ZZ Top and bands of a similar nature, albeit with both organ and piano providing additional flavors to the proceedings.
Tracks 4 through 6 and 8 are rather different in style though, lighter in tone and character and with more of a Country or Americana flavor to them. Effectively assembled I might add, and surprisingly enough one of these compositions, Standing Ovation, comes across as the clear highlight of this CD as far as I’m concerned. As I generally don’t like music with Country tendencies this was rather unexpected I should add.
The last type of songs are songs of the kind I’d generally describe as closer to the likes of Allman Brothers band, or at least some of their harder edged material. Some Country-oriented guitar details alike these songs revolve more distinctly around guitar and organ dominated arrangements with a big, majestic expression, and are arguably ever so slightly more closely related to blues and blues based hard rock than the other tracks. The differences between these tracks and the others at hand are fairly subtle though, there’s no truly dramatic change of affairs we’re dealing with.
What sets Firkins excursions somewhat apart from many others is his guitar work. While we do get treated to a few good guitar solo runs, the greater majority of them with a fairly distinct blues-oriented sound, the central characteristic details throughout this production is the use of slide guitar. Firkins is a performer used to applying this specific musical detail, and he does so very liberally indeed on all the songs here. He does it well to, adding both energy, tension and compelling details with an apparent ease. Of course the slide guitar is given it’s fair share and then some of runs in the limelight, which suits the songs on this album very well indeed. With suitably warm, dry vocals of the kind that sounds like they have graduated from first class of the whiskey school of lead vocals, all of this adds up to be quite the enjoyable experience.
“Yep” showcase the abilities of Michael Lee Firkins as a guitarist and composer of the kind that can create and perform music that safely can be stamped as Made in the USA. Blues based rock and hard rock is the name of the game, extremely liberally flavored with slide guitar, and otherwise incorporating details from boogie rock, southern rock, Country and a wee bit of Americana in a delightfully compelling stew. An album well worth a check by fans of bands like ZZ Top and The Allman Brothers Band presumably, as well as by those who have a deep affection for southern rock oriented productions.
My rating: 84/100
