CD Reviews by By Dawoud Kringle

Guitarist Gary Lucas (a.k.a. “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” and a dozen other plaudits I could copy from his massive biography) has been prolific of late in his recording output. As I write these words, I have three CDs he recorded in front of me. So, I will combine them into one review.

Artist: Wild Rampus
Title: Musical Blaze Up
Label: Bitches Brew Bitch
Genre: mix of electronica, dub and country

Wild Rampus’ Musical Blaze Up is a collaboration between Lucas and Colleen Murphy (a.k.a. DJ Cosmo: radio broadcaster, club DJ, music producer, remixer, record label owner and founder of Classic Album Sundays). The CD’s first track starts like a pop country song, and then becomes grungier and more abstract. But the abstract element is more implied than actually manifest. The country rock beat never goes away, always driving the song. As the CD progresses, the music explores Lucas’ various textures and musical prowess as filtered through Murphy’s remixes and DJ interpretations. Styles and genres are mixed randomly, yet with surgical care. At times Lucas masterfully guides the music through a variety of musical ideas and moods, with the beats and samples playing a more subordinate role. Other times, Murphy’s ideas take precedent. It’s interesting how the dissimilar worlds of musician and DJ can find such a multifaceted middle ground. Lucas and Murphy forged new territory in that as yet largely unexplored world.

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