Stars: 5 out of 5Pros: Fun new takes on some classic songs
Cons: None
The Bottom Line:
Writers get their say
Rerecord signature songs
For a fresh new take
Friendly Jam Session of Writers
There's no doubt in my mind why Rocketown Records was my
favorite label in the early part of this decade. Not only did they have three
of my favorite artists at that time, but they also released little gems like
Coming From Somewhere Else.
To say this is an unique idea for a CD is putting it mildly.
It highlights four people who are usually behind the scenes, four writers. And
there is no doubt about the talent here. I knew two of the names before I got
the disc (Wayne Kirkpatrick and Billy Sprague), but I only knew the songs of
the other two (Gordon Kennedy and Phil Madeira). Just because I didn't know
those writers' names didn't mean I did love their songs. This is a collection
of true classics recorded by several different artists. While most were hits in
the 90's, there's a song that stretches back to the 80's on here.
The disc opens with the only new track. Written by all four
men, "Coming from Somewhere Else" explores our propensity to be
selfish and acknowledges that any good in us comes from "Somewhere
Else." This is the only song where all four men trade lead vocals. In
fact, they even sing some of the lines in harmony. It's guitar heavy with a
nice strong beat.
The rest of the CD follows a pretty standard pattern. Each
man sings the songs he wrote with the other providing background vocals and all
four pitching in on the instruments.
Gordon Kennedy does almost a solo performance on PFR's hit
"That Kind of Love." He does the guitar, bass, and vocals with Phil
doing the keys. It sounds a little different just being a solo effort, but it
is still the same soft rocker that was originally a hit.
Several of these men wrote for Susan Ashton. Since I'm a
fan, I loved seeing these songs again. "You Move Me" was actually a
hit for both Susan and Garth
Brooks Wayne
plays.
Speaking of Wayne ,
he gets to cover Michael W. Smith's classic hit "Place in This
World." It's got more electric guitar and keyboard than the original, but
it is still a solid pop ballad.
Probably the biggest change here is to "Via
Dolorosa." The Sandi Patty mega hit gets an acoustic makeover. Gone are
the dramatic strings made famous in the original version. Instead, Billy's
quiet guitar makes the lyrics more dramatic. There's even some accordion in the
mix. Also interesting to note is that he leaves out the Spanish verse of the
song. It makes the song shorter, but I don't mind.
The disc closes with "Change the World," which
Gordon and Wayne wrote and was a hit for Wynonna and Eric Clapton. Wayne gets the lead
vocals here and does a good job with this fun closer. The syncopated beat they
give the song is infectious.
The disc must not have done too well when released. Why do I
say that? Because it was advertised as volume 1 in the "Rocketown Writers
Series," and we never saw any more entries. But that's too bad because
Coming From Somewhere Else represents a great idea well executed.
CD Length: 40:38
Tracks:
1. Coming from Somewhere Else
2. That Kind of Love
3. Grand Canyon
4. Hunger and Thirst
5. Man After Your Own Heart
6. Place in This World
7. You Move Me
8. Everywhere I Look
9. Via Dolorosa
10. Change the World
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