Mark Lennon: Down The Mountain

[John (Biscuits and Gravy) Davy]

Oh, this is a pleasure. I've been listening to quite a bit of music from the dark side of life recently, which is fine because ultimately it tends to be more interesting, but life and art are about balancing light and shade. After all those bracing cold showers, it's just great to take a warm bath in Mark Lennon's music.
A native of North Carolina relocated to southern California, Mark Lennon brings us songs in that area between country, folk and rock. A full sound with plenty of piano and organ augmenting the guitar-based music, this band are so musically articulate that it's a pleasure to hear the way they gently wind the threads of their music together. There are echoes of early 70s roots rock, maybe even early Eagles at their least wet, though for me I think I'm filing it in the same mental box as Loomer's Songs of the Wild West Island, which has become one of my standby favourites in recent years. Both albums feature marvelous keyboard playing and both are chock full of inventive playing within the format of the band. No production tricks, no esoteric instrumentation, just damn fine musicianship.

Lyrically he seems quite gentle, as suggested by songs like My Hometown and I'm Doin' Fine; he puts me in mind of David Gray a bit when dealing with relationships, or Steve Forbert when he's casting his eye on the world around him. There's a lovely song, Wildside, co-written and performed with New Yorker Simone Stevens and there's just a touch of the old Gram/Emmylou thing in that performance. Mostly, though, I love this album for the music making, especially on the songs that get extended like What I Could be With You, and can only regret that there's not much more than half an hour of music here. It's a little gem.

John Davy