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Tom McElroy |
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Inoy |
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Maintaining a website about Smooth Jazz is certainly a time-consuming passion. The question is being put, should the mainweight of the content only concern popular artists of the Smooth Jazz genre or be a balance between well-known and unknown artists? The philosophy and impetus of this website was always to be a guide to the world of Smooth Jazz and I will continue this task. Even the undiscovered artist deserves your attention. So follow me on the exploration to the great world of Smooth Jazz. One of those unknown artists is Tom McElroy. In his biography is to read, that his life was always a struggle between his wish to be a musician and the necessarity to earn money. Admirable is therefore his efforts in making an album of such a quality. He did the whole work: writting, recording, mixing, producing and engineering and he played all the instruments. Gentle U is the first presentation of his skills in playing a perfect guitar backed with some keyboard riffs and programmed drums. The same midtempo style and instrumental combination one can hear on Always With You. At the end of the tune Tom flabbergasts with a quick solo. Why not earlier and longer? The romantic side of his guitar play Tom interprets on When We. This is a pure acoustic guitar melody without disturbing drummachines. A real facilitation. The title song Inoy presents the above mentioned instrumental combination added with some female vocals. The tune is pleasing with some solo interrupts. It's 3:00 In The Morning is a more radiolike tune fitting in todays Smooth Jazz radio scene with some Hip-Hop grooves and soundsamples. I Don't Know is an outstanding tune, on which one can listen and experience Tom's guitar mastership. On En Route (on the street) the drum-machine especially the bass drum is beating Tom's sensible guitar play to death. On Hey You we have a follow-up of this drama. The drum-machine is dominating the tune and the listener asks where is the melody? An interplay between Tom and another professional musicians would be transfering his music to a higher level. His work shows some promise on Pressure featuring Gordon Uchima on saxophone and April Lombard on lead vocals. A funky tune professionally played in. For Luv is a slowtempo tune with a nice intimate guitar play and a cold drum-programming. Soft Rain is another example for a combination of impressing guitar play and a monotonous drum-machine. I Remember When is Tom's return to the unplugged acoustic guitar. His wonderful guitar interpretation conciliates. Tom McElroy is a diamond which has to be polished up. On his next album he should confine himself to his guitar play and engage some professional sidemen.
© HBH |
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The musician:
All songs written, recorded, mixed, produced and engineered by Tom McElroy. More informations: http://www.smooth-jazz.de/Artists2/McElroy.htmSoundsamples are to find athttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thommcelroy
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