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Sifu Stephen
Doe – Playing With Time |
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Band/artist: Sifu Stephen Doe
Title: Playing With Time
Label: Doemestic Records
Released: 2006
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Track
Listing:
1) Awakening
2) Breathe
3) Questions
4) Con-Fusion
5) Hidden Time
6) My Self Reflection
7) Strat-o-Spheric |
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The Players
Sifu Stephen Doe (performed all instruments –
guitars, bass, keyboards, drums) |
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Sifu Stephen Doe is a
talented guitar player from Manchester, New Hampshire. This is his
second album but the only one I have listened to. Sifu played all the
instruments himself so there is no doubting his musical abilities. I
really like how he is able to shred with the best of them but also
demonstrate a melodic and atmospheric quality in his guitar playing. He
is truly a master of the instrument. As for the music this is an
instrumental prog metal/fusion album. The music has quite a lot of
variation in terms of time changes which helps to make the album very
listenable and never boring which can be a problem with all-instrumental
recordings.
In the liner notes Sifu states he is influenced by Beck, Di Meola, Vai,
and Clapton, among many others. I can definitely hear those influences
in his music, especially Di Meola, Vai and Beck. The first two songs are
hard rockers with very fast guitar playing but all the notes are easily
heard. “Con-Fusion” is the third song which starts with atmospheric keys
backed by a steady beat. The bass is very prominent here and high up in
the mix. There are plenty of time changes which I think prog fans in
general would appreciate. Again, there is some excellent guitar playing
which reflects the many moods of the song and is probably the most
progressive on the album. “My Self Reflection” starts with a cool guitar
solo followed by keys and a heavy prog metal guitar riff. Again, there
are some nice tempo changes adding to the progressive quality of the
music and makes this song my favourite on the album. The album ends with
“Strat-o-Spheric” where I could hear hints of Pink Floyd in the guitar
and keys, I am thinking Dark Side Of The Moon era, which was a nice
bonus and makes for a fitting ending to the cd.
This is an impressive album and I look forward to hearing his next. The
only complaint I have with the album is the use of programmed drums.
Having a full-fledged drummer behind him would make a world of
difference and really add a needed boost to the songs. Other than that
this is an enjoyable album and is recommended to aficionados of
progressive guitar dominated instrumental music.
Rating: 7 (out of ten)
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Visit the Artist’s
Website
Discography
Playing with Time (2006)
Trial (2003) |
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