Curtis – Blue Electric Cool

At the nucleus of this band is a guitarist named Curtis Fornadley whose style is quite reminiscent of Mark Knopfler. He is a good provider and works several jobs to bring us this album. While Curtis is primarily a guitarist, he plays us a few faint notes from the keyboards. In addition, he helps out with horn arrangements, engineering, and even art design. That makes him employed in five separate areas. Nevertheless, the guitar is really where he finds his greatest strength. He’s so good on the guitar that this single skill alone holds up the album like iron girders.

The foundation is fortified with other excellent instrumentalists as well. Embedded within the core are Rob Chismar on drums and Dave Hill on bass. Each provides a consistent level of luxury in their playing.

Within the first couple of seconds, you’ll be thrown for a loop. Right when you think you’re fading off into a dream, the beat drives straight into the badlands of Dire Straits. This is what you’ll find in the first song, Spanish Surf, and believe me, it’s more than appropriately named.

Before this track finishes, we are introduced to our first guest, Roy Wiegand, who gives us a trumpet that’s sappy, sentimental, and sweet. He’s a patient guide on our tour through these melodious mountains.

Eventually, the sun sets in the horizon and we return to home base. It’s an exhausting workout as we’re basked in sweat from head to toe and this, my dear, is only the beginning.

Onto the next track, Street Walkin’, Michael Todd and Tom Whaley join Roy and the rest of the group in their expedition. Michael presents us with a tenor sax that’s trippy. To complement his stumbles, tumbles, and falls, Tom’s trombone lubricates the lower layers.

These three banditos who volunteer their time and make this brief visit are a band of hikers who climb the hills and slide down the steep slopes. While the gravel is loose and there is little to grip, you’ll never find these guests losing their footing. They are valuable company to bring along on this trip.

If Spanish Surf gave you the hunch that Mark Knopfler made an impression on the musician, the next song, Fire in Her Eyes, will give you more than an inkling. It definitely gives the impression that the music of Dire Straits has made their mark on Curtis. On top of that, this song features some of the most interesting guitar effects to be found on the album, which is why it’s one of my favorites in this “cool” collection.

The band continues to keep you guessing. After hitting us with three thrilling pieces early on, the fourth track, Nothing Can Bother Us Now, tries out something new and different. Instead of being upbeat and active, it lays back with a breezy rhythm. It has the spine of Soul and the brain of Blues. I hear aspects of Spock’s Beard, Kevin Gilbert, and Simon Apple in this song. Like these bands, it has a lot of passion even when it’s almost idle.

Just when you think the music is about to be pushed over by a plethora of lazy beats, we get something a little angrier in the fifth piece. In this song called Spy vs. Spy, the guitars and bass are truly aggressive. They compete with one another like the secret agents in Mad Magazine’s corresponding comic strip.

Keeping pace, the next tune, Rollercoaster, is fast and frequently changes directions as it takes the listener up and over very high valleys. When it seems its inertia has run out, it rides up and down a couple camel humps before returning its riders to the station.

There are even more fun and fibrous pieces to chew on in this convenient snack pack. Pirate plots a course for the stomach-turning seas. The Steel Drums clue us in that Carmen Sandiego is hiding somewhere in the Caribbean.

In addition to Street Walkin’, the trio of guests turns up in the next tune. After taking five, they take us down to a swank café for a succulent cut called Tasty Burger. This triple combo of trumpet, tenor sax, and trombone is utterly engaging, making the two tracks where they appear some of the best material on the album.

Rick Jelinek lends the albums only voice (aside from sound bytes) on this track as well. While this piece takes the most chefs to prepare, you’d never think there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Likewise, the tracks that only have three contributors still offer enough chutney to spice up even the blandest dish. You’d never think those shifts were understaffed. Whether they have six musicians, seven, or three, the patrons will be pleased.

By the way, there is another intriguing fact about Tasty Burger. In this track, you’ll hear several clips of Homer from The Simpsons and Samuel L. Jackson’s jive-talking hit man from Pulp Fiction. Homer comments on his affection for yummy hamburgers while Samuel’s order rings up as a regal Royale with Cheese. Also, just to be clear, these snippets are really in there.

The next in line is Race with Jesus on PCH. It starts with some tribal beats and then goes off into the domain of The Dixie Dregs. Dave’s bass playing sounds like Kopecky in a few places. This song also moves in a quick and complicated manner that makes me think of Niacin as well.

Acid Exp. #2 is a slow and hallucinogenic buzz. It won’t take long to lose your time and place in this sluggish piece.

In a song called Weapons of Mass Destruction, the secret is out and now the buried arsenal is found. Like Tasty Burger, this one uses a clever sound byte that is voiced by no other than President Bush. This clip is used countless times. Fortunately, the President’s phrasings work very well within the constructs of this song.

The title track is the longest and most shapely song in the line-up. While Curtis strums the guitar, he plays the keyboards as if they were an electric xylophone. The bass does nothing more than blow bubbles and bide its time. The drums, however, are patient as each percussive element is given it very own individual attention.

In the last piece, Good Night, we are tucked in and the switch is flipped. There is little resistance to go to sleep. The night light illuminates the room with an amber and ambient glow. After being drained from this demanding day, it takes no time to drift away.

Curtis lets us know inside the cover, “Special thanks for to anyone who paid for this CD.”

While you would be doing a good deed by purchasing the album, you’ll also receive valuable bars of music and precious bullion beats. What you uncover in these melodic mines are well worth your time.

Curtis also adds, “Support Independent Music!” and I must concur. The more we collectively curtail the costs of such creations, the better the chance material such as this will independently ascend to the surface.

8.25/10

To learn more about the album and artist, visit the band’s web site at www.BlueElectricCool.com.