Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/19/2003
Although he doesn't totally transcend his
Stevie Ray Vaughan/
Hendrix influences,
Chris Duarte attempts to progress beyond them -- occasionally -- on his fourth release,
Romp. Kicking off with the greasy
Junior Kimbrough-penned title track, he then moves into a sizzling
Hendrix-fueled instrumental,
"101," which shows his hot-dog guitar prowess but could have been on any of his previous discs. Similarly, the flashy
"Like Eric" doesn't hide the fact that if you wanted to hear
Eric Johnson, you'd buy an
Eric Johnson album. Things finally settle into a more unique groove on
"My My." Here his haunting
Hendrix-styled distorted fuzz tone nudges a mechanical beat that's creepy and edgy. Better still is a version of
Dylan's
"One More Cup of Coffee," the album's six-minute centerpiece that transforms the original into a dreamy, ominous ode, utilizing near spoken lyrics against a subtle and stark backing. With a slinky guitar solo that reflects the tune's longing, it's where the guitarist finally establishes a distinctive approach, albeit with someone else's song. On the nine-minute
"Last Night," Duarte mines similar territory with a brooding, mesmerizing poem of devils and inner demons that sounds like something
Jim Morrison conjured up in a heroin-fueled nightmare. His guitar skitters and snakes around the melody, exploding then suddenly pulling back in a dazzling display of restraint and fret shredding that makes you wish he would have maintained this level of menacing intensity for the entire album.
"Mr. Neighbor" revisits
Hendrix again in a tune that is structured so closely to
"Bold as Love" -- right down to the guitar tone -- you'd think
Jimi would get a co-writing credit. The closing, spiritually based
"Take It to the Lord" shows that
Duarte can compose a religious
ballad that doesn't pander to lowest common denominator clichés. He's obviously got chops and good ideas, but
Duarte still hasn't quite forged his own sound for an entire album.
Romp though, proves that he's getting closer.
~Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
;)
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