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Pete Roth Band: Circus In The Sky
ByRoth's writing encompasses a range of styles. "Little Mr X"dedicated to Roth's young sonand the swinging "Smile" are bright and joyful. Roth's guitar is flowing and fleet-fingered, Loren Hignell's sax sound is warm and welcoming. "RB-School" mixes funk and blues into an immediately enjoyable tune, showcasing the grittier side of Roth's writing and the band's playing.
"Morning Prayer" is a gentle, meditative, number led by Roth's nylon-strung acoustic guitar and Hignell's sax. "The Return," featuring producer and label boss Nicolas Meier on nylon-strung guitar alongside Roth's electric instrument, shares this laid-back approach. The playing is beautiful, but over the seven or eight minutes of each tune their lack of dynamism becomes apparent and they fail to hold the attention.
It's the trio of fast, powerful, tunes that provides Circus In The Sky's highlights. "Uprise" opens the album with a prog-inspired bang (King Crimson springs to mind in the combination of guitar and sax). "Gotta Shoot" reprises the attack of "Uprise," Hignell's biting sax riffs and Gabor Dornyei's powerful drumming leading the way. Hignell's throaty tenor and Terl Bryant's fierce percussion drive "The Sicilian," the final member of this up-tempo, exciting, trio of tunes.
Track Listing
Uprise; Little Mr X; RB-School; Morning Prayer; The Return; Gotta Shoot; Smile; The Sicilian; Malaika.
Personnel
Pete Roth
guitarPete Roth: nylon-strung acoustic guitar, electric guitar; Loren Hignell: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Dave Suttle: double bass; Gabor Dornyei: drums; Terl Bryant: percussion; Nicolas Meier: nylon-strung guitar (5).
Album information
Title: Circus In The Sky | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: MGP Records