Review 1 of 1

No Screen Name writes:

Not Rated

While there are a few weaker songs (James Alley Blues), on Roger McGuinn's latest work, the better songs are great. Being a long-time follower of the Byrds and McGuinn, I am not surprised by this superior effort. On any of McGuinn's later Byrds and all his solo efforts, there are a few songs that are quite transcendent. I'm specifically referring to "Chestnut Mare" and "Just A Season" with the Byrds and "Shenendoah" here. While the two Byrd compositions were his and Levy's (I believe), he has always had the knack to arrange a traditional song into something quite unique. He did this on "The Water is Wide" in his first solo effort, and here again, except even more so. This is not to diminish the overall quality of the album, for the Harrison piece and most of his own compositions are excellent. Here, McGuinn's ability to mimic the Beatles and yet retain his own style is in keeping with another of his fine traditions (Dylan, of course, and Gram Parsons).
In the Byrds' earliest sound, McGuinn's 12 string dominated (I would guess it had to for commercial purposes), but as he continued his career, McGuinn learned to blend it instead and still keep that distinctive sound. One can only guess what the present day McGuinn would present us had later-Bryrd quitarist Clarence White lived. Still, guitarist John Jorgensen has done quite well with McGuinn here and in "Back To Rio."
It seems McGuinn is way past the point of needing broad public acclamation for personal validation. I may not be objective about his work, but with "Shenendoah" he has achieved an extraordinary level of greatness, and Limited Edition is as good as it gets.

Jan 24, 2006 06:24:57