Here's a record I've been curious about for a long time -- an acoustic EP by Magdalen. Hmmm. They've got tremendous talent and are good songwriters. Once I put it on, I realized my expectations of a Guardian sound-alike were way off base. This stuff is much more clean. I mean, these guys utilize cello, violin, sitar, tablas, accordion, and a myriad of other instruments. What is achieved is a mixture of new age natural contemplative music with an acoustic folk rock direction. Who would've ever guessed this recipe for a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs?"
Once you realize what kind of beast you're listening to here, you can appreciate it as a classy piece of contemplative music. The part of me that digs the atmospheric sounds of Jeff Johnson and Iona rejoices over these six songs.
Lyrically, these guys have penned four originals in addition to the fore-mentioned Sabbath cover and Marley classic -- "Redemption Song." One of the originals seems to be an ode to Kurt Cobain and those patterning after his reckless lifestyle -- "Shotgun Shack." The song "Streets of No Hope" is a vivid picture of a girl who needs to notice the dirt she's in, brush it off, and grasp God's redemption.
Overall, we've got an excellent esoteric album here by some rockers -- and not vice-versa.
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse December 1994Reviewed by Beth BlinnAnybody who has followed Lanny Cordola's musical trail over the past few years should know by now to expect the unexpected. His two solo albums were good introductions to the fact that this man clearly is not interested in sticking to just one musical path when there is a whole world to be explored. He has pursued blues, jazz, rock, funk and folk-sometimes in their purer forms, but usually…Similar sounding releases
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