2015 – Mr. & Mrs.
Paris Music
By Phillip Smith; Mar 7, 2015
The latest album, Jury of My Peers, from Iowan Dave Paris is a smorgasbord of thirteen
original and amazing guitar-centric instrumentals. Paris keeps it fresh with varying styles and
tempos, burning his own stamp of ownership into each track with blazing melodic
guitar riffs.
As if busting through a wall like
the Kool-Aid Man, “Romans Road” takes a no-holds-barred approach to greeting
the listener with a an unexpected blast of hard-driving metal-laced rhythm. Besides the furious guitar licks prominent on “Bought
by Blood”, I love the swampy harmonica intro from Cyprian Alexzander. Stand-out
anthem, “Night Before Last”, is beautifully powerful. Paris
introduces a small string section composed of violinists Natalie Brown, Mike Hall,
and Curt Harman, which adds
tremendously to this song’s unique appeal.
As far as the heaviest tracks
go, I’m drawn to both “Last 2nd” and “Author of Fate”. A funky bassline from Barbe Paris and intriguing beats from drummer Brent Harknett help make “Last 2nd” a great rock
instrumental. Paris performs this with an
undeniable mastery. “Author of Fate”
kicks off in a classic Metallica form, with lots of fury. Paris carefully injects a smidge of
progressive rock into this one before returning to the song’s metal roots.
Dave breaks
out the slide, and slips in a really unexpected treat in “Wood, Wire, Wind”. Steeped heavily in North Mississippi country blues,
this one hits the spot. Alexzander returns with harmonica in
tow for this track. Based on this track
alone, I’d love to hear what Paris would do with an entire album devoted to the
Blues.
It’s so enjoyable to hear a
guitar master such as Paris, do what he does best. Fresh and seriously focused, Jury of My Peers has edged its way onto
my list of favorite instrumental rock albums.
For more info on Dave Paris
visit his website http://www.daveparis.com/
