Post by jptheprofessor on Oct 9, 2005 22:53:06 GMT -5
RHYNE McCORMICK – SOUL DUST (Tone Records) An album can often capture a snapshot of an artist at a specific juncture in his/her life, both musically and personally. An album can represent what is in the artist’s mind, and what might be going on in that person’s life; with the music itself serving as a vehicle to convey and supplement the mood. Based on his latest album, Soul Dust, relationships and decisions occupy the current mindset of Lewistown singer/songwriter/guitarist Rhyne McCormick. Through Soul Dust’s eight songs, Rhyne considers thoughts and lessons learned from the school of relationship hard knocks; second-guessing his own mistakes on the gentle “Say You Loved Me,” contemplating a future decision on the Americana rock-flavored “Out Of Love,” and reflecting on how a hasty relationship decision comes back to haunt him on the uptempo opener “Girl Turned.” On the uplifting and soulful “5104,” he finally finds the love that puts the past games behind him. On the bluesy and spiritual “Train,” Rhyne examines how decisions can impact lives; and on the country-geared title song, “Soul Dust” is the accumulation of residues of life’s experiences on one’s soul. Rhyne convincingly sells his song material with a confident, gritty vocal presentation. Musically, he fleshes out his acoustic creations with a full-sounding backdrop mixing elements of rock, folk, blues and soul; with instrumentation including steel guitar, ganjo, keys, saxophone and more. With help on the production end from keyboardist Johnny X, Rhyne McCormick effectively uses his arrangements to emphasize and support the moods and emotions he tries to convey. The result is a fundamentally strong album by an artist who knows his musical terrain and just what he wants to get across. Like its lyrical themes of life’s experiences and wisdom accrued, Soul Dust shows us Rhyne McCormick as an artist who has learned about himself along the way, and has used that knowledge to craft a focused, confident set. (The album can be obtained at Rhyne’s shows, or by visiting his website, www.rhynemccormick.com.)