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A quick glance at the songlist on the back cover of ?ÄúWelcome to Electricrazyland?Äù by The Craig Easley ?ÄòXperiment might allow a potential listener to expect a recording of Jimi Hendrix-inspired rock music.

Titles like ?Äú?Ķand the gods went crazy,?Äù ?ÄúWelcome to ElectriCrazyland,?Äù and ?ÄúVoodoo Rider?Äù more than hint at Hendrix songs like ?Äú?Ķand the gods made love,?Äù ?ÄúVoodoo Child?Äù ?Äì or, if you will, ?ÄúVoodoo Chile (Slight Return)?Äù ?Äì ?ÄúEzy Rider,?Äù and the masterpiece double album ?ÄúElectric Ladyland.?Äù The group names, The Craig Easley ?ÄòXperiment and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, are more than a little similar.

The photograph on the back cover with a young boy in a white room with gray curtains playing what appears to be a G major bar chord on a Gibson hollow-body guitar behind his head completes the Hendrix allusions.

(Incidentally, even if this CD totally sucked ?Äì which it does not ?Äì I was more than prepared to love it just for the man standing next to the young boy in the photo: head thrown back with the kind of smile that expresses joy, surprise, and pride all at once, and pointing directly at the guitarist with fully extended index fingers. That big smile reminded me immediately of Howlin?Äô Wolf on the Chess album ?ÄúThe Real Folk Blues,?Äù only bigger. It is the smile of a man who is totally loving the moment.)

The music is guitar-based ?Äì it would HAVE to be ?Äì but Hendrix is neither the only guitar influence on this music, nor the primary one. The sixth song, ?ÄúFor All an Hold?Äôs Worth,?Äù is a dead giveaway: The Craig Easley ?ÄòXperiment is based in 1970s jazz fusion and inspired by guitarists like Allan Holdsworth, Al di Meola, Jeff Beck, and John McLaughlin, among others. ?ÄúFor All an Hold?Äôs Worth?Äù recalls Holdsworth?Äôs huge tone and harmonic squeals as though it were the source himself. Songs like ?ÄúNufuncity?Äù and ?ÄúSeventh Heaventh?Äù continue in that format. Easley?Äôs guitar work, and there is LOTS of it, is impressive from song to song, both as a ?Äúguitar?Äù sound and as other voicings like trumpet and flute, achieved by using a Roland GR-33 synth. There is even a version of ?ÄúJupiter?Äôs Waltz?Äù from Gustav Holst?Äôs ?ÄúThe Planets?Äù as the recording?Äôs lone cover. No ?ÄúAll Along the Watchtower?Äù here.

Easley is also known as a spoken word artist (his poetry was recently featured at Listen & Be Heard) and contributes his poem ?ÄúMiles Still Smiles?Äù among the CD?Äôs fifteen tracks. The lyrics are presented in counterpoint with a guitar synth trumpet sound; however, nothing about it resembled anything from Miles Davis?Äô ?ÄúMiles Smiles?Äù album. No Harmon mute sound, no predominately upper register playing like Davis?Äô work on that recording, just the sound of a horn. A little nondescript but so what? Or should I say ?ÄúSo What??Äù

The recording ends with a musical elegy, ?ÄúTears for a Fallen Hero.?Äù The liner notes on the CD jacket inner sleeve mention its dedication to Easley?Äôs ?Äúfather and Fallen Hero, Charles Henry Easley.?Äù I do not know whether the above-mentioned man on the CD?Äôs back cover is the recipient of that dedication. I do think that Craig Easley probably made his father proud and on a regular basis, if this CD is any indication.

To purchase ?ÄúWelcome to Electricrazyland?Äù and for additional information, visit http://craigezly.com.

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