Daryl Stuermer

Go

a review by Mario Giammetti

published on Dusk # 55 - April 2007

“I met Daryl for the first time in an elevator of a London hotel when I was going to the Townhouse studios to start working on the Phil Collins No Jacket Required album. Daryl is a dear friend as well as a gifted musician. He never stops amazing me with his writing and his way of playing. He makes things so damn easy. I liked working with him on his records and they are all very special to me, he is my main reference point on the road, we lived many many great adventures together and I hope there will be others in years to come. I hope you will like listening to this record as much as I liked playing on it”.

These are the words used in the album sleeve notes by Leland Sklar, the bearded bassist who, after years of strict West Coast militancy recently converted himself to the shiny Phil Collins pop music, and who plays in six out of ten songs on this ninth Daryl Stuermer studio album.

This record had to be released last fall, but was delayed to April 23rd probably to exploit better the Genesis tour echo, during which Daryl proposes himself to do further promotion and also to allow the release of the “Rewired” anthology which we reviewed in the last issue.

“Go” was announced by the guitarist as a record with some fusion and some progressive, and there certainly is an element of truth in what he says, even if there are not many upheavals in his well crafted style. In certain respects, this is however the record that most resembles the “Steppin' Out” debut, the only album released by GRP before Daryl moved on to an autarchic self-production that finally seems to be ending with this opus released by the worthy Inside Out.

The 12 pages booklet is very beautiful and boosted by well informed sleeve notes that Daryl as well as the already mentioned Leland Sklar wrote, and also by beautiful photos, the musicians ones included. They are, apart from Sklar, the consolidated Daryl band: Kostia on keyboards, John Calarco on drums and the other bassist Eric Hervey.

The record features ten tracks, whose length oscillates between three and six and a half minutes.

The first one is “Striker ”: a nervous guitar riff played on the high end of the fret board is reinforced by the organ and the rhythm section. The lead guitar obviously moves around freely and dominates the sonic spectrum, notwithstanding a central, more thoughtful phase, with suspended and vaguely jazzy guitar chords on which there also is a lead guitar. Drum work by Calarco is remarkable in all the track.

With “Masala Mantra” the cross references game starts, as the vaguely Celtic melody seems, especially to people that know all the Stuermer discography well, an already heard one (for further information see the interview). The fast guitar, maybe even filtered through a synthesizer, leans on a very tight rhythm, before a more relaxed phase in which suspended keyboard chords dominate then leaving the spotlight to an always scintillating guitar.

Another vaguely Celtic melody which once more reminds us of something from Daryl's back catalogue is the mark of “Greenlight” . A fast number with an almost military march rhythm in which, while the keyboards are a little more airy, the guitar spreads clusters of notes everywhere.

Kostia's keyboards are still all around on “Dream In Blue” . Daryl's guitar, at least at first, seems to come from a far place. It is vaguely Hackett-like in this slower track where soft drums seems to have been programmed. On the whole, a more melodic number, with a melancholy trace and synthetic violins.

An initial drum break is the characteristic of “Breaking Point” , sunny song scanned by the organ chords and by the usual guitar melodies.

With “Urbanista” the cross reference to another Stuermer song is really clear: clusters of guitar notes climb on a basis of electronic percussion underlined by keyboard chords. It is a more varied track, where musicians are allowed a certain room. Eric Hervey's bass, for example, takes alternate solos with the guitar, which seems to go crazy on the keyboard breaks. Too bad the track fades abruptly.

A hard drum fill, a guitar riff on a keyboard and then an open guitar riff: the first sensation listening to “ Heavy Heart” is of an indirect homage to “Squonk” . The number eventually calms down, with a slower rhythm dictated by loud drums, an organ as a basis and the lead guitar drawing a vaguely melancholy melody, while another guitar plays the chords in a light way. A pretty and easy on the ear number.

“Meltdown” is characterized by the march of the snare drum, on which the guitar draws a mysterious melody. The rhythm section is guided by the powerful bass, the atmosphere changes are beautiful, thanks to devilish guitar breaks.

“The Archer” is sunnier and presents occasional rhythm breaks, with an always fast guitar. The leader's instrument even plays arpeggios when the lead guitar sound melts with the synthesizer one.

Finally “Omnibus” is a softer song with organ and drum breaks, but the guitar is always in the spotlight with jests and gibes and some variations pertaining tone colour.

“Go” is a more than enjoyable record, marked by a light but very pleasant fusion and maybe superior to other recent Stuermer albums. Let's hope this product can project Daryl towards another dimension than the current one, considering the guitarist will certainly benefit from the contract with Inside Out.

BACK