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Portrait of the Musician As Forever Moonlight

By Michael Burke (reviewer)

Portrait Of The Musician As Forever Moonlight
By Marc Sloan
(Self-released, 2014)

Versatility is the key ingredient in this CD of everything from country and western numbers to peppy South American sounds such as Faruca Argentine and Rhumba. That's right, thirteen fast moving numbers in all and not a loser in the whole flock. From "Freight Train Blues," written by John Lair in 1935, to "Here To The Bayou," to "Crystal Clear," dedicated to Woody Guthrie, the rhythms are so well synthesized it is difficult to imagine that along with bass guitar, congas, mandolin, violin, slide guitar and drums, there's an accordion in there somewhere.

Vocalist Marc Sloan, who plays classical guitar and Martin bass is backed up by professionals such as Simon Fishburn, Guy Thillet, Pablo Shine, Danny Blume, Elliott Sharp and Marco Benevento, all of whom bring together their skills and talent in this finely wrapped package. Sloan had me going for awhile, thinking I was listening to Hank Williams, or was it Merle Haggard? Wasn't there also a little bit of Johnny Cash coming on the scene in "Overcast," a blacksmith's lullaby dedicated to Johnny?

Yet, I cannot rave about this collection enough without raving about the instrumentals as well, especially Faruca Argentine. After several trips around this disc, this former Long Island boy, now residing in Atlanta, was very pleasantly surprised to see Marc Sloan had acknowledged the Long Island Railroad as the birthplace for the poem, "Where Loved Ones Like To Go," dedicated to Richie Havens, Sanstone's Skyp Guillette, Peter Townsend and Steppenwolf. This collection is a real keeper and I'll pass it along to Ryker, my five year-old grandson, for whom we're now building a wealth of music for the future.

Michael Burke is a Vietnam combat veteran who served over ten years in the Army, with tours in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam.