| CD Review: Into The Cauldron - Mike Marshall & Chris Thile | |
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Reviewed by Jennifer Webb
Purely instrumental albums are a little bit different than the so-called "normal" ones because instead of letting the lyrics tell a story, you let the music take you wherever your imagination wants to wander. Into the Cauldron is a beautiful piece of work from Mike Marshall and Chris Thile and is nothing short of perfect.
While listening to "Harvest Time," one might feel like they are sitting on the back of a wagon riding around surrounded by bales of hay that they just loaded onto it. The perky mandolin chops set a great pace for traveling throughout the whole song, yet when they begin to slow down you feel like the journey is winding down and the hustle and bustle of the day will give way to a quiet night.
A slow introduction winding its way into a faster pace is found in "Scrapple From the Apple," a song that sounds intricate, yet simple, all at the same time. When the guys really get into playing their parts you hear one say "Yeah!" and you know they are in their element and nothing will stop them.
One of the only sounds other than mandolins or a mandocello can be found in Chris' countdown to playing "Fisher's Hornpipe." Once they launch into the song you cannot help but get into each and every note that is played. The tune sounds like they would be playing it in a pub where the fishermen gather after weeks or months spent out at sea so they could listen to it while they relax and unwind.
"The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" is a favorite of mine because the music fits so well with the title of the song. You can tell when you listen that there is some sort of trouble and the predicament takes awhile to resolve itself as the song is over seven minutes long. Though the song is long it does capture your attention and you might even want to listen to it again to get some parts of the story that you missed.
If I had to pick a song title from Into the Cauldron that sums up the whole project in just three short words, I would have to choose "What A Blast!" It is so fun to listen to that it would cheer up even the saddest person and it does sound a bit different than anything else on the album.
Chris Thile continues to improve upon what I believe to be is perfection in the making, while Mike Marshall (who is perfect himself) does too and they both immerse themselves into a fun project of eleven songs focusing solely on the mandolin and mandocello. The mandolin is such a beautiful instrument and I am so glad that these two got together to release a superb album of songs.
Song List:
Sound clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble
Album cover, used with permission of Sugar Hill.
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