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MOTU — Acceding to the Apocalypse
((Not on label) LISR0419, 2024, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-05-01

Acceding to the Apocalypse Cover art

Right out of the gate one will hear some excellent and exciting blues-rock licks, not at all unlike the earliest ZZ Top, Savoy Brown, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield, Canned Heat, and other artists that populated the late 60s blues-rock boom, the same stuff I used to listen to as a high school freshman before I got bit by the prog and jazz bug. Lots of acoustic and electric guitars mingling with slide and pedal steel, then the vocals come in — first Dr. Richard Michelson with his rough and scratchy delivery, then Dee Michelson harmonizing with him beautifully. That opening track is titled “The Cost,” a song with lyrics that start out in socially conscious territory but end up getting too preachy and annoying for my tastes. I don’t wanna hear how awful everything is — hell, I watch the news every day and I can put two and two together. Too stark and serious for  me; Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Buffy Sainte Marie could write lyrics about serious subjects but deliver them tastefully wrapped in literary wonder. Likewise there is a song here about a selfish and inconsiderate individual with the song title and repeated refrain “You’re Just a Pile of Crap,” though I have to say with the slide dobro, harmonica, and deep bluesy groove it’s one of my favorites from a purely instrumental standpoint, even if the lyrics suck. Following the opener “Love Is All We Need” is a slow rocker that finds Dee Michelson singing lead following a lengthy instrumental intro, such a superb vocal, perhaps reminiscent of Lydia Pense or Joanne Vent back in the day, harmonizing with herself beautifully. The rest of the band includes drummer Ed Modzel and guitarist / singer Rich Fry, the latter a newcomer since 2023’s The Water Is High. That leaves  bass, slide, steel guitar, keyboards, and harmonica exclusively to Dr. Richard M through a fair amount  of overdubbing, as well as acoustic and electric six-string. “When Your Smile Has Left the Room” is another gentle folky number with nice harmonizing between Richard and Dee, while the four-minute title track is the only full-on instrumental cut among the ten. There are plenty of wonderful bluesy numbers here to enjoy, and the lyrics aren’t always so dead serious.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): MOTU / Dr. Richard Michelson

More info
http://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0CWBW5BF7

 

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