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John Platania - Blues, Waltzes & Badland Borders
- Blues, Waltzes & Badland Borders, by John Platania, delivers what the title promises. Its tracks are songs that have solemn undertones and the songs with lyrics bring a definite and unmistakable message. Many of the songs were written by Platania and songwriter Chip Taylor, and their collaborations make for an introspective album despite its overall instrumentality.
“Runnin’ With The Dogs” has Taylor’s brother and actor Jon Voight giving a soliloquy about the dividing line between Texas and Mexico, with the statement, “Borders are places where cultures collide. The Texas-Mexican border is just an imaginary line, of course, but it’s been a place of real events and real drama.” Then, Platania strums away on his guitar with foreboding chords. Anton Fig then pounds away on the drums with immense force. The combination of these two instruments makes this song one that can be blasted on one’s radio as they sprint toward the mentioned frontier.
On “Child Heroes,” Platania gives precise guitar notes, which are speedy at times. An instrument known as a tabla is used here. It is an Indian percussion instrument that consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. Ray Spiegel plays it understatedly, adding an elegant and some may say adolescent rhythm to the song. The track also features a children’s chorus about sacrifice which could depress some listeners, but the instrumentation is unassailable and it succeeds in getting across the desired message.
“East Texas Waltz” is a song that could be heard on an upcoming episode of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, because of the assorted instruments utilized. It has superb guitar work from Platania, bass work from Tony Mercadante, and keyboard play from Seth Farber. The vocalist advertises just what the song is, as he states matter-of-factly, “It’s an east Texas Waltz.” Though a waltz is a slow dance, this song, because of the barrage of instruments, does have a rock feel that makes a unique song to dance to and one that is perfect for the show.
On “In Memory of Zapata,” Alejandro Escovedo narrates as well as imports some background harmonies. Platania’s guitar work is misanthropic, as is Fig’s drumming. The tabla work from Spiegel is soft and unassuming as not to intrude, and the bass work from Mercadante brings an upbeat flow to the song which doesn’t coincide with the title, which could give listeners the impression of grief, but the instruments’ implication is that the subject is going to a better place and is being guided there by this track.
John Platania’s Blues, Waltzes & Badland Borders is an amalgamation of history in instrumental form. Each track has a rhythm that melds together brilliantly and will make listeners contemplate what Platania is saying, without the clutter of too many words.
Reviewer: Sari N, Kent
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 4-May-2007
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