Ira Norman Segall – drummer/percussionist/audiophile engineer & producer
Owner of Unipheye Music, LLC Unipheyemusic.com - unique fidelity, extraordinary music
irvingsegall.com – 31 season Philadelphia Orchestra Member and a founder of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians
The privilege of writing reviews is when you get to review a work that you truly look forward to hearing.
To watch, from a distance, an artist truly grow; actually explore new spaces and have the courage to re-look at their own creative voice and what they really have to say is a gift. Thus,
the new Stephen Parker album, “What Goes Around”, is truly that sort of rare experience for me. It proudly broadcasts the results of that excavation process.
Stephen Parker has always been a tremendous wordsmith. His lyrics telegraph experience - more than mere storytelling for songwriting’s sake. They bespeak, at the same time, his pain, as well
as the beauty that surrounds him.
Musically, a transition from acoustic to electric guitar, as well as an exploration of finger-picking has opened up a universe for Stephen, both as a player and as a composer. In this incarnation
of the band, it has allowed him to surround himself with a caliber of musicians, that together as an ensemble, are subtle, nimble, flowing, expressive and articulate and allow Stephen to
take full flight. There’s a sense of new freedom and expression.
Part of Stephen’s brilliance is his arranging sensibility. He voices the band, setting textures and layers that are just extraordinary, allowing their individual expression to have space;
a sense of air and openness.
“What Goes Around” expresses the actual joy of Stephen Parker finding new and different creative spaces as an artist, something that is rare for a player/composer. We experience it with him
as he shares it with us in each track of “What Goes Around”.
The sound quality of the record is wonderful. His transformative musical experience has migrated over to Stephen as producer. The instruments sound as free and natural as the compositions.
From the Spanish-stylings on nylon-stringed acoustic guitar in “Hyaleah” to the woodwind in “Tabula Rasa” and the acoustic piano and flute on “Naples Sonata”, the sound is clean, organic
and open. The right choice of microphones and use of acoustic space has created beautiful sound as well as a seamless integration of music and lyric.
This record conveys a freedom, an openness. “What Goes Around” is yet another outstanding record from Stephen Parker. Go out and buy yourself 300 copies of it right now.
Edward J. Harpham
Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Collegium V Honors Program at The University of Texas at Dallas. The author of numerous academic books and articles, Harpham directs
a “guitar workshop through the Honors Program that explores various facets of popular music”
In his new release, Stephen Parker offers us a gentle reminder of how good popular music can be when carefully crafted and thoughtfully performed. Comprised of five songs running about 26
minutes, “What Goes Around” takes listeners on a journey of emotion and thoughtful reflection that is rare in contemporary popular music.
In the first cut, Hate to See the Summer Leave, Parker sings a lament that we all have felt at one time or another. If we just tried hard enough, could we coax the summer to stay around a
little longer? We all know the answer: The autumn is coming; the world is changing. But how do you evoke these feelings in song? Skillfully using two guitars talking back and forth to one
another in the background, Parker’s sense of vocal timing captures perfectly the uncertainty we face at such transitions. He leaves us with a sense that something will be lost once the summer
is gone and that an unknown lurks in the future. When Parker sings “streaked… and stained,” and pauses for effect, the listener knows there is danger on the horizon.
Hyaleah introduces a new mood and provides a nice balance to the first cut. Upbeat and optimistic, this song announces the ever-present possibility of new relationships in one’s life. The
driving force behind Parker’s vocals here is a background guitar, lifted up by a delightful flute and rhythm section. When Parker asks “Open up your garden gate, Hyaleah. Please. Won’t you
pull me through?” we are left hoping and believing that the answer to his query is a resounding “Yes!”
The third cut, Naples Sonata, opens with a soft blend of keyboard, flute and rhythm guitar reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s early excursions into jazz. There is tenderness in the melodies that
Parker spins out from one verse to another. This enables him to explore the psychological tensions of “people watching.” Naples Sonata uncovers how the commonplace contains a world of romance
and wistful excitement. Are we, Parker sings, wasting precious time when we watch the people around us and wonder what they are all about? I think not. And the feeling we are left with as
the songs fades away confirms my suspicion.
The mood picks up again with What Goes Around. The jazz rhythms of earlier cuts are replaced with a pop beat that joyfully explores the trails and trials of love. This is a foot-tapping song
that invites the listener to join in and explore the foibles of love in its many phases.
The final cut, Tabula Rosa, returns to the gentle jazzy rhythms of Hate to See the Summer Leave. But the mood now explored is new. A sense of uncertainty about the past or the future is no
longer the focus of attention. Rather we find a soulful recognition of mistakes made and love lost. If only the slate could be wiped clean, Parker sings. But he knows it can’t. Guitars have
been replaced by a sax and keyboard that speak to one another throughout the song. Parker’s vocals have never been clearer or crisper as we, too, are left wondering why things go wrong sometimes.
While the questions that Parker explores are sad, the music is marvelous and the listener doesn’t want it to end.
So much of contemporary music is harsh and angry. Lyrics are often banal and the melodies easy to forget. Stephen Parker reminds us that popular music can be joyful and thoughtful at the
same time. All we need to do is give the musician a chance to deliver. Give Parker a chance. Highly Recommended.
The Gathering Storm
Target Records
Bergstr. 2
D-82377 Penzberg
Germany, Bavaria
http://www.targetrecords.de/
Parker Stephen - The Gathering Storm
SOUNDFILES:
High Horse - mp3
Streets Of Fire - mp3
Hold Back The Night - mp3
Ruth Ann - mp3
Style: Midwest/AOR Similar Bands: Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Dan Hill Long before STEPHEN PARKER formed his Folk-/Southern Rock outfit STPHEN PARKER BAND he released a solo album in the late
70’s. He only resurfaced 12 years later with his 2nd solo LP “The Gathering Storm” which sports a southern californian Westcoast sound with slight Country- and Folk-Rock influences. EAGLES
and POCO fans will surely embrace tracks like the guitar driven rocker “High Horse” or the epic balld “Streets Of Fire”. On the other hand PARKER whose vocals are reminescent of DAN HILL
and RANDY MEISNER also shows some AOR influences. “Hold Back The Night” for example sounds like a mid 80’s DAN FOGELBERG rocker while the slick hook ladden ”Love Without Mercy” is pure DAN
HILL. Ralf Fahrig
Joined In Progress
If you’ve ever experienced a Grateful Dead or Ratdog concert, you can imagine the fun you’ll have listening to Stephen Parker’s "Joined in Progress" CD. Parker’s band has evolved
into a musical fusion of jazz, rock, and folk. This is the type of band that you’d love to see live - "Joined in Progress" lets you do it! We dig having The Stephen Parker Band
in our daily rotation!!
Paddy Noonan, Founder and Musician, IMRadio