hstisgod's Full Review: Sleeps With His Guitar by Pat MacDonald
From time to time, you come across a recording that no one else really understands. A little over ten years ago, just barely transplanted to this country known as Texas, I had won some tickets from a local radio station. The tickets were to see a regionally known artist at the time The Grand Street Cryers. Little did I know when I arrived in downtown Fort Worth that evening, that I'd find what I consider to be the finest jewel I hide in my musical safe, Pat Macdonald Sleeps With His Guitar.
First, let's get you reacquainted with Pat Macdonald, because chances are if you're over 25 years old or have a firm knowledge of 80's one-hit wonders, you've already heard his music. In 1986 a two piece named Timbuk3 came across the billboard charts with My Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades. You may also recognize him visually from another 80's release, this time in the cinema history. In the 1988 remake of D.O.A. (Dennis Quaid) Macdonald can be seen during a 6th street bar scene performing with wife Barbara as the formation Timbuk3. The unique brand of folk and funky acoustic pop seems to have carried over into his solo career.
Fair warning, this CD features all sorts of Jekyl and Hyde melodies, contrasting from children-like folktales (Daddys Down In The Mine) to stories in the mind of an automobile (Drive Me Around). Of course with this type of songwriting and humility comes the awkward tracks, some which are oddly entertaining like Turn On Me. "Get your flys in my buzz, get your wolf in my howl, but I'll never touch a chicken unless you f*ck with my fowl". "Never choke my goose, never jack my jaw, gonna assasinate the president or call upon the law". I hope I got those right...
The History Of Law is another plethora of mic night like bluesy acoustic with multi-faceted vocals wrapped in a tortilla of educational lyricism. "Eve was tweaked- Adam couldnt speak, flashed on the apple and his knees got weak, took a big bite started to write, the history of man". The most melodic of moments is when the verse takes a breather for the chorus -the rhythm differential makes for all the enjoyment. "This fire has been here from the start, and no rain is gonna drown it out!" The song also features more of his mean harmonica skills, belting out his best verification of true blues. More verification is the lead song, Track You Down, where the intro is engulfed in harmonica tones, then the acoustic leads in mean. His vocals take over at a soft cut, slowly his voice builds until the chorus hits and already you have an idea of his range. I cant say enough about how unorthodox and tremendous his voice echoes with depth and playful ability. Another undeniable groove and rhythm is track three, Like Water. Macdonald, picks and pats at his guitar as a madman, while his voice moves like a pendulum, swaying back and forth between tones and volumes. One of the more jetty up beat blues riffs here as well is You Left Something.
That evening, I watched an out of place dinosaur strumming chords, kicking bass pedals, ripping on the harmonica and singing at the top of his lungs, leaving the mostly middle aged crowd in awe of his lonesome parody of adult rated naptime storytelling. In the coming months I became disgruntled, as most of my consumers at Sound Source (CD store I managed at the time) scoffed at my newly found acoustic god. Still to this day I'm scoffed at, and my reaction is still the same, as this record leaves me with as much humility as Macdonald exemplifies. So make no mistake scoffers! Brian Rutherford sleeps with his Pat Macdonald Sleeps With Guitar CD.
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