Acoustic Alchemy Beautiful Game CD

Personnel: Miles Gilderdale (guitar, programming); Greg Carmichael, John Parsons (guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Sam Bush (violin); Snake Davis (whistle, saxophone); Al Richardson, Pat Burgeson (harmonica); Guy Barker (trumpet); Terry Disley, Tony White, Simon Hale, William Richardson (keyboards); Frank Felix, Victor Krauss (bass); Frank Tontoh, Geoff Dunn, Larry Attamanuik (drums); Scooter Delong (percussion); Richard Bull, Tony White (programming).
Engineers include: Jim Sweeney, Richard Bull, Klaus Genuit.
Producers: Richard Bull, Miles Gilderdale, Greg Carmichael, Steven Jones.
Recorded at Coast Recorders, San Francisco, California; Higher Ground & Livingston Studios, London, England; Hansa Haus Studios, Bonn, Germany; Sound Emporium, Nashville, Tennessee. Includes liner notes by Greg Carmichael.
Personnel: Snake Davis (whistling, saxophone); Greg Carmichael , John Parsons (guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Sam Bush (violin); Al Richardson (harmonica); Simon Hale (keyboards); Geoff Dunn (drums); Scooter DeLong (percussion); Richard Bull (programming).
Audio Mixers: Richard Bull; Steve Jones .
Liner Note Author: Greg Carmichael .
Recording information: Coast Recorders, San Francisco, CA; Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN; Tiny Telephone, San Francisco, CA.
Greg Carmichael has done more than merely survive the death of Acoustic Alchemy founding member and partner Nick Webb; the guitarist has turned the loss into an opportunity to create a whole new ensemble vibe by collaborating with formerly supporting members of the duo. The biggest differences on this label debut (after nearly a decade with GRP) is that Carmichael is more open-minded toward spontaneous interaction with other instruments, and doesn't mind laying back a bit on the strings. On "The Angel of the South," his and Miles Gilderdales' dark guitar lines snap along over Frank Felix's rolling samba bass groove and hypnotic percussion fills; Guy Barker's Latin trumpet flavors come in later in the tune than they need to. Despite its Spanishy title, "The Panama Cat"is a simmering retro-soul/blues, with a reflective acoustic easing over a constant, jumpy wah-wah click line throughout. The reggae beat of the title track will remind AA fans of the classic "Jamaican Heartbeat," but its moody ambience and occasional hypnotic Terry Disley piano swirls make it sound like a 3rd Force tune. "Hats of Magic" creeps along coolly with sound effects, a trip-hop groove and the dreamy interaction of guitar and Snake Davis' sax. For those averse to the exciting changes, "Big Sky Country" is typical, loping AA trademark stuff all the way. Another unique idea is having Steven Jones produce second versions of both that tune and "Trail Blazer" with an all-Nashville cast complete with appropriate steel guitar twangs, harmonica dobro, and violin. Webb would be proud of his compadre's tribute to moving on. ~ Jonathan Widran