Michael Falzarano: Sunrise Over The Unknown

With various and sundry activities spanning the continental United States, from Woodstock to San Francisco and in between, guitarist-songwriter Michael Falzarano is something of a master of space and time. 

Such rarefied status thus renders the title of Sunrise Over The Unknown perfectly appropriate. The album is as full of promise as accomplishment, a premise underscored by the resplendent front cover image, art titled "Burst" by Natalie de Segonzac.

Having played with contemporary iterations of Hot Tuna and The New Riders of The Purple Sage, plus engaging in a robust solo career, Falzarano has earned his credibility as much for leading a band as contributing to one. No wonder he looks grizzled in the photo portrait inside of the CD sleeve: He has earned so wizened a visage in part by also having taught guitar workshops at Jorma Kaukonen's now-defunct Fur Peace Ranch.

All that said, Falzarano is not a wholly original thinker. In the very first number, the familiar trope of "7 Year Itch," arrives on overly-familiar chord progressions undisguised by a predictable arrangement featuring gospel-style backup singers alongside archetypal Chuck Berry licks on the outro.

"There's A Rainbow" is something else altogether, a mid-tempo rumination on the symbology in the title. The cut is rife with discerning perspective as clear as the sonics mixed and mastered by John Painter (who also played, sang and co-produced here). The pointed musicianship contains interplay highlighted by Kevin Griffin's lead guitar and Rusty Lewis' keyboard backdrops, while Russell Steadman's precision drumming also correlates to the sterling audio.

The readily-recognizable image within "Coins In The Fountain" gives way to billowing electric guitar lines that elevate the number into a contemplation on mortality more hopeful than morbid. That cut's content, like the wisdom shared above the I-IV-V progression on "Without A Net" (an unsurprising Grateful Dead reference!), makes for a suitable setup prior to the acoustic-based modified blues that is (fittingly) "Mighty Mississippi." 

And the contrast inherent in the track sequencing that contains steel guitar heralding "Cupful Of Rain" could not be more apropos: Falzarano composed the artful song with Robert Hunter, the late and highly-esteemed lyricist of the aforementioned psychedelic warriors. Given that alliance it should come as no surprise that "Get Up Get In The Dance" echoes '90s electronic textures favored by the titular leader of the iconic ensemble Jerry Garcia. 

The harmony-laden "Bird With A Broken Wing," rises above its otherwise over-obvious modern Americana stylizations, hearkening instead to vintage Poco through the wide and high arc of its looping steel lines. A somewhat clunky "Take Back What's Mine" suggests the folk-rock roots of the previous number are closer to Falzarano's forte than the forced psychedelia that uncurls over this near six-minutes of the total 53 or so. 

That said, while "One Brick At A Time" is yet another use of near-cliche, its rhythmic underpinning is irresistibly infectious. Falzarano would do well to concentrate on consciously composing and recording more catchy stuff along those lines, and the genuinely uplifting "Everything  Changes In The Universe" reaffirms the veracity of that theory. 

In excising the all-too-often pedantic verbiage that crops up on Sunrise Over The Unknown, more winsome material of Falzarano's would make for a potent blend indeed, even more so than what appears in the mottled mix on this his fifth solo effort.