The SolitaireOne (a one man band as it 'appens) has been making a noise (and name for himself) quite successfully on Soundclick for some time and, along the way picked up many fans and listeners. Yay, you all cry, break out the champers!! Until, that is, I tell you that most of The SolitaireOne's output happens to be blues. Blues rock, maybe yes whatever but at bedrock the man and the blues live together. Its surprising but blues and blues rock is one of the absolute staples of the internet music scene. It might not fair too well in the harsh real world but on the net it has many fans. Take, for example, the amount of comments expressed on Finally Heard The Word. Most of us count ourselves lucky getting a couple of comments per track so the amount of comments for this track shows just how acceptable the blues is these days.

Fine by me because I love the blues, and not just because I am a miserable English grump.

For someone who actually experienced the 1960's, Finally Heard The Word is like saying hello to an old friend you haven't seen for 40 years, as warm and comfortable as your favourite slippers. That's fine for old codgers like me but surely it couldn't appeal to todays kids? Wouldn't they notice the roughness of the mix, the thinness of sound, the odd muffled note? Would they ****!. What they would notice is how fresh, raw and exciting it sounded, like a bucket of water in the face and just as refreshing. Meanwhile miserable old English grumps like me would complain (see above) that it wasn't up to some stupidly exacting production quality that only I - and vampire bats - could even identify.

While Finally Heard The Word did indeed tickle my ivories, I must admit that it did come at the expense of things I wouldn't have been happy with in other situations. The excellent backing vocals were kind of squashed into a corner of the mix where centre stage may have been more effective and when the piano solo came in, my heart sank. This is where the track should have taken flight for the end but the dullness (and boominess) of the piano sound completely threw it for me. Personally, I admit that I love the track very much but for all the wrong reasons but being a miserable etc, etc my opinion can be easily discounted because - when all is said and done - this is a track with warmth, heart and a great song to it.

Highly Recommended Blues rock.

Soundclick is a giant music store, you can find any kind of music on there and most of it for free. Yeah but, you may moan, its free because its crap, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. As any reader of these reviews will acknowledge some of it is downright astonishing, and even the more normal stuff has heart, soul and character. Take, for example, Blues Rock a genre that many dispatched to the dustbin of history after the last phase of it during the early 1970's, and in some cases rightly so. However, I got my very first musical education in this genre and I've had a high regard for it ever since. Its nice to see it find a home on Soundclick and The SolitaireOne has become one of its prime exponents.

Memories Of Yesterday is exactly that if you go by the sound. Solidly based in the late 1960's I'd say that this artist has nailed the period detail like nobody's business. The thin, weedy electric guitar sound is absolutely right on the money even though I wouldn't advise it for any other track but this one. The overriding impression I am left of the track is an incredible amalgm of several strands of 1960's pop/R&B scene circa 1966/7. On that level then, the production is amazing although, once again, I don't think I'd be saying that in any other context than this.

While I was listening to this though and through, hundreds of influences kept hitting me; from the chord progression, the vocal style, the arrangement - fekkin everythiing. Having more than a few plays under my belt I am now able to seperate some of it. The opening 2-4 guitar figure is definitely akin to Spencer Davis Group's Keep On Running, some of the lead guitars are pure CSN and the vocal style is a combination of Eric Burdon and a million others. I mention Eric Burdon (of The Animals a seminal 60's band) in particular because there is one section of this track that gives the whole game away. I recognised the chord progression straight away but couldn't fit it to any track but then when I heard this from around the 2:44 mark it became so obvious it made me smile. It's a dead ringer for House Of The Rising Sun, but don't let that stop you, this is a great listen anyway. Excellent nod of respect to the Golden Age.

Highly Recommended and MUST HAVE for 60's fans.

The SolitaireOne - Right Here On Soundclick

Fourth time up (I think) for American blues rock artist, The SolitaireOne. Aha! A one man band that 'fesses upfront, gotta love that. I've been well impressed by the calibre and authenticity of this musician from the straight ahead blues of I Let My Baby Go (May 2007), the blues rock of Will It Be When I'm Gone (October 2007) a ridiculously laid back track that anyone familiar with American bar bands would understand immediately. Twenty Twenty (February 2008) though topped the lot, a classic rock track to it's roots and the first of his tracks that I could really get behind. Mind you, he's made more than a dent at Soundclick regardless of what any reviewer says; the blues is alive and well and on the internet.

Whether Right Here on SoundClick was or wasn't a contender in Soundclick's recent competition to write a SC anthem I have no idea. The SolitaireOne says he 'had writers block on lyrics for some time. It's basically a song about itself'' which is immediately obvious as the song gets into its stride. Vocals by the seat of your pants even. Obviously the classic rock formula comes into play again, this time with a much more resonant 60's flavour, as he cites The Kinks as one of his prime influences for this track.

You will have heard the music, or similar. a thousand times. The basic rock lineup is augmented with a supporting slide guitar that fits in the gaps well enough although I thought it sounded a bit thin in the mix. The track is absolutely awash with guitars, all of them delivering a very authentic sound. It goes without saying that music of this type should naturally be loose and IMHO Right Here On Soundclick skirts right on the very edge of loose, particularly lyrically. As good as the music is on one level, ultimately this is - to my ears anyway - a bit of a throwaway track.

Recommended Classic Rock nonetheless.

Having an Influenced By list that includes BB King, The Who, The Animals, Creedence Clearwater, Tom Petty, Steely Dan, Howlin Wolf guarantees two things. One, the musician(s) involved are either foolhardy souls searching for a butt kicking or two, that they actually know what they are doing. The blues is a broad church and part of that is blues rock to which this track whole-heartedly belongs. It liked the last track I reviewed I Let My Baby Go (May 2007) although I had reservations about the vocal style being used and small niggles with the track itself.

Although some of the same problems dog Twenty Twenty, its innate rock swagger a la Rolling Stones make sure that I am quick to overlook them. Nothing serious anyway, just a kind of home produced problem I guess. As you may have guess from the first paragraph it's time to....er...go back in time. Early 1970's and the sound of Creedence Clearwater are the mainstays of Twenty Twenty, at least in the vocal sound and the musical sway. Some of the leads are vintage Stones sounds and very well done too.

Repeated listens only reinforced these impressions, especially vocally which is the part that grew on my most. There is some of the same vocal tentativeness that marred his last track but taken as a whole Twenty Twenty more than acquits itself. Don't be fooled either by the Southern Rock tag either, this is pure, classic rock and you can take that from someone who like through that particular day. Instrumentally and technically this is a fine peice of rock despite my usual little niggles, so if you like the sound of it - chow down!.

Highly Recommended Classic Rock

Steve Gilmore
SG Reviews - The Blog

The SolitaireOne - Will It Be When I'm Gone

When I first reviewed this artists I Let My Baby Go (May 2007) I certainly got straight into their style (blues of the old school) but I wasn't quite as sure about parts of the vocal delivery; nonetheless as a introductory track it certainly wet the old whistle. Gimmie more, I snorted and lo...it shall happen. O yeah. I've always been a fan of the blues ever since stumbling across the likes of Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and a great many others. It's gone in and out of style a good few times since I first came across it, and it definitely lives and breathes and has a real presence right here, on the internet.

Blues was always the ultimate niche market anyway, it's probably found its true medium at last, and its nice to see artists such as The SolitaireOne paying the ultimate respect to the genre by keeping it alive and fresh. Although I didn't quite agree with the first SolitaireOne track I heard, I had no such reservations about Will It Be When I'm Gone because - as far as it goes everything gels extremely well. Mining a musical area also dominated by names such as Tom Petty, Credence Clearwater, and Steely Dan (cited as influences by this artist) is not exactly what I would call the blues and definitely not an easy trick to pull off. To say that The SolitaireOne does on this track is to understate the case, this is a track that snaps you up from note one - especially if you like the genre.

There's an easy, let's all kick back and have a smoke feel about the track which pretty much captures the world this track comes from. I've had the opportunity to travel to a lot of the world, looking at bands in various locations and I've enjoyed none more than the bar bands I enountered in remore corners of the USA - usually rocking out with something like this. So, not exactly blues (at least by my standards) but blues rock certainly and of a high standard. If this artist isn't already a presence on THE site for music of this kind (Ed: the elitist bastard is referring to www.songplanet.com) then it's time to get on there - their audience will love this stuff and I know for sure Mike-K has probably been saying much the same thing so this is probably totally rendundant so I'll shut up and let the musiuc do the talking for a change.

The big easy. Highly Recommended blues rock.

Congrates on "Does Any One Keep Promises" making it to #3 on SC Blues Rock charts!

Listened 2 1/2 times. whew - that's about 15 minutes - your welcome

Let's start with Mix. I would maybe snip the 8 second silence on the start. If I was browsing by, I might click away with that much delay. The drums are a little muddy/lost in mix. I appreciate good percussion (bass/drums) and this could be improved. The hard panning of the guitars is something I have personal dislike for. Maybe try panning guitar effect (reverb or delay?) some to the other side so it creates a presence on the opposite ear. I'm listening in headphones and it sounds a little like I'm 'stuck' between the two. I thought the vocal presence was good. Over all mix is OK.

Song: This is a really good song. It is helped out by a strong vocal performance. Lyrics were good, but could use more emphasis on theme. I listened 2+ and can now only recall the single line "Does Any One Keep Promises". (could also be my poor memory) Correctly done, repetition of key 'hook phrases' can pound home emotion. (this is a staple in most blues lyrics - why? - because it works)

Performance: Performance in this recording fully meets the requirements to convey the full sense of what the songwriter had in mind when he wrote the song. However, this song is missing a 'groove'. That's sometimes hard to capture on slow tempo work. Tighten the bass/drum combo and this song can achieve more.

Really good song. Great vocal. With minor refinements this song could excell at recapturing the 60/70's blues rock experience for this listener.

Good work. TC
_________________
Mark Wilson
Wilson Teague Project

TheSolitaireOne - I Let My Baby Go
Or, if you frequent Soundclick's forums, you may know this artist better as songswriter. First time, as far as I am aware, that I have reviewed this artist, although I have read his reviews and forum postings enough times. I Let My Baby Go is classed as Straight ahead blues and that's pretty fine by my lights because I have been a lover of the blues for a long, long time as anyone who read my review of the Avalanche/Blues Forum track last month will testify. Moreover, while downloading this track, I noticed and played You Never Miss Your Water which is also on this page. The original track (by Lightning Hopkins) is one of my all time favourite blues tracks and to give him his due, TheSolitaireOne makes a splendid job of it.

For an artist to cite BB King, Howlin Wolf and Buddy Guy as influences should give you a clue that this is the blues, as authentic and nuanced as only the best blues can be. Or at least it better be because that's the downside of this thing called authenticity; if it doesn't feel real it isn't going to work in the same way. While it would be fair to say that I Let My Baby Go - or at least this version of it - doesn't quite match the sound and fury as played by the above sources or the quite extraordinary bluesy outpourings of Jimi Hendrix, instrumentally it pretty much hits the right spots.

In my books, that's a bloody good start.

It's in the vocal delivery where the facade breaks down, unfortunately, and that purely is a matter of personal opinion. I'm probably going to get lynched for this (Ed: is that worse than s-u-e-d?) but the vocal sounds too white bread to really cut the mustard. By all appearances, Arthur Park (aka TSO) penned this track and obviously scored it all out too - he says on his interview page that this is home recorded; despite the impression the crowd on this track will give you. I'm certain that the vocal would cut more in a geniunely live situation; it's very hard to do that in a more sterile environment. There's also a strangeness about the kick that worries me, almost as if the whole backing track is off by the slightest tad. Nonetheless, these are just musicianly niggles and won't amount to much in anyones eyes. All they will be interested in is that it IS the blues, at least in sound and texture.

Well performed blues that just misses the mark. Recommended if you like the genre.