Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2014 February 07 • Friday

Will 2014 be as good a year for new records as 2013 was? Judging by this CD that just came out on Relative Pitch, I'd say that it has a good chance.

Golden State is Greg Cohen's tribute to his native California. Most of the tunes are original though there are a few covers, such as "South of the Border" and "California Here I Come".

There are only two musicians here, Greg Cohen and Bill Frisell, who plays without any electronic effects, just guitar and amp. These are two musicians I've listened to a lot but I don't think I've ever heard them quite like this. There's a power and a depth to their playing here that strikes me as something beyond their usual strength and produndity.

There have been reports that Joey Baron has declared that this will be the album of the year. I'm inclined to agree. It's just mindblowingly good. Listen to it once and you'll want to spin it one more time right away.