{"id":32027,"date":"2013-09-24T06:06:17","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T11:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=32027"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:37:52","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:37:52","slug":"michael-lee-firkins-yep-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/michael-lee-firkins-yep-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Lee Firkins | Yep<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"MichaelStarting his career in the early 90s as one of Mike Varney\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9s, Michael Lee Firkins nevertheless managed to avoid participating in the chops game of the time. Composition, insight, and expression of spontaneous feeling always meant more to him than self-assertion through fretboard acrobatics. His 1990 self-titled Shrapnel debut showed precisely that, as well as his interest in roots music \u2013 from blues to bluegrass. The following 20 years were full of ups and downs, expansion of influences, excursions into jazz, admiration from fellow musicians, but also prolonged career down time spent away from the public eye. <\/p>\n

After an 8-year gap between albums, Firkins finally released Black Light Sonatas<\/em> in 2007 \u2013 an intense record full of beautifully composed, rousing instrumentals. The offering in hand is Firkins\u2019s first CD since Black Light Sonatas<\/em> and it lays out a simpler vision \u2013 a return to the basic fundamentals, something all rock virtuosos begin with in their youth. Opener \u201cGolden Oldie Jam\u201d \u2013 a mid-tempo classic rock throwback \u2013 spells out the idea behind the entire release: \u201cGolden oldie was the real deal, golden oldie teach you everything.\u201d The bold, proud strut of blues-drenched guitar leads, their non-linear conversation with the keyboards, the elegant slide moves, and a hint of psychedelia set the retro vibe for the rest of the album. <\/p>\n

What follows are more blues and classic rock workouts: unhurried, tasteful, and orthodox. \u201cCajun Boogie\u201d emulates ZZ Top at their swaggering peak, \u201cTake Me Back\u201d aims at the Black Crowes terrain, and soon the entire album begins to sound like a tamer version of those two bands. Firkins as a unique player suddenly disappears behind the conventionality of these this inoffensive, congenial, and largely unmemorable Americana. Closing track \u201cThe Cane\u201d, however, justifies the entire album as a prelude to this final revelation. Primal and haunting, it becomes half-invocation, half-lament with Firkins\u2019s processed vocals magnetizing the spellbound soundscape. Here he breathes life into blues with such lofty, overwhelming power, you instantly know this final shot into stratosphere was worth waiting for. <\/p>\n

Genre: Blues, Rock<\/p>\n

Personnel:
\nMichael Lee Firkins \u2013 guitar, vocals
\nMatt Abts \u2013 drums
\nAndy Hess \u2013 bass
\nChuck Leavell \u2013 keyboards
\nMichael Bland \u2013 drums <\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1. Golden Oldie Jam
\n2. Cajun Boogie
\n3. No More Angry Man
\n4. Standing Ovation
\n5. Long Day
\n6. Wearin\u2019 Black
\n7. Out of Season
\n8. Take Me Back
\n9. Last Call
\n10. No More Angry Man (Part 2)
\n11. The Cane<\/p>\n

Label: Magnatude Records<\/p>\n

Online: www.michaelleefirkins.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai – Columnist — Starting his career in the early 90s as one of Mike Varney\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9s, Michael Lee Firkins nevertheless managed to avoid participating in the chops game of the time. Composition, […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":32028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[6807,2387],"class_list":{"0":"post-32027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-mike-varney","9":"tag-rock"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}