Plankton
THOMAS LARSSON - "Freeride"
Grooveyard Records
With the plethora of guitar-oriented discs that come my way it is always refreshing to hear a disc with not only some great guitar playing, but also with some great songs. “Freeride,” Swedish guitarist Thomas Larsson’s rip-roaring technical blues rock fest, captures both of those elements and more with its mixed offering of lyrical and instrumental songs.
The name Thomas Larsson may be familiar to you due to his work with “The Voice,” the legendary Glenn Hughes. Thomas appeared on Hughes “Burning Japan Live” disc. However, even without the prior affiliation with Glenn Hughes, Thomas Larsson is an artist who can stand on his own and when one hears “Freeride” you will understand what I am talking about.
Opener “Freeride” gets things started in a high energy technical blues rock fashion and is one of the tracks featuring ex: Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist, Goran Edman, who just plain sings his ass off on this track. Edman’s soulful, inspirational vocals combined with a tasteful solo that will give you whiplash make for a perfect opener that lays the foundation for “Back On the Ground,” a slower tempo tune playing on a strong blues groove with some of the most tasteful soloing this side of Hendrix. The solos groove with an intensity and emotion as deep as the rhythmic groove of the tune. You just want to say, “where the heck did this guy come from?” The 5 other vocal tunes continue fine fashion, with the beautiful ballad, “Gone With Yesterday,” featuring the powerful vocals of Erik Jalmarsson, and striking a strong cord with this listener. Again, this is just another track demonstrating the consistent ability of this record to combine powerful vocals and strong guitar playing with blues-based songs that are drenched in emotion and feeling; simply stated these tracks all rock!
The final 4 songs of the “Freeride” record are instrumental and provide the listener an opportunity to see just how good a guitarist Thomas Larsson is. Many guitarists excel in either a band format or as an instrumental artist. The bigger challenge lies in the instrumental compositions, where the guitarist must carry the song simply on the guitar melodies. Based on these 4 compositions, Larsson showcases himself as up to this challenge. Each tune displays a strong sense of melody, which is able to carry the each of the songs confidently. Furthermore I like the fact that Larsson adds dynamic elements to each of these songs that give the tunes their own life. He uses a lot of styles ranging from blues to fusion. Not to mention names, but this is one important element I feel is lacking in the recent music created some of the pioneers of instrumental guitar music.
For fans of great guitar playing, but who aren’t big fans of the instrumental guitar genre, you really cannot go wrong with Thomas Larsson’s “Freeride.” Sure 4 of the 11 tunes are instrumental, but they will definitely not deter even the most discriminating listener. In fact, the strength of the 4 instrumental tracks on offer may even open one’s mind to the world of instrumental guitar music. The bottom line is that “Freeride” is a well-crafted record with superb vocal and guitar performances. Out of all the obscure players out there, Larsson is one of the best and deserves your attention, so “take a freeride” to the "grooveyard" and do yourself a favor by picking this guitar monster up.
---Steve Bauer
Academy of Shred - New York - 2002