Fred LaRose
"Focus"
( Zekester Records ZK101) cd 1997

This is an excellent album of acoustic guitar compositions. The disc is comprised of seven original compositions and features Fred on his Guild acoustic on all but one cut which features the Mexican Mariachi band instrument, the guitarrone, a large body and short neck used for lower ranges of the musical scale than the standard acoustic guitar. The melodies are soft, delicate and LaRose shows a proficiency at arranging as well as playing his compositions. It begins with a finger picking style piece called "Flight on Haight" reminiscent of the stylings of Bert Jansch and John Renborn with some nice picking and tapping on the guitar face at intervals to produce a rhythmic accompaniment. The next cut, "Evolution" is a more progressive piece with the Guild going through a bit of digital processing, a little flange, and a slight echo in the appropriate spots. It share a great balance of inspiration and technique. "Willies Dream" is a beautiful ballad bringing to mind Tom Rush's classic "Rockport Sunday". He also uses a synth for some sparse but very supportive textures in the background on this one. "Hailstorm Coming"has a Hedge's style intro with percussive syncopated notes playing on the lower strings in an open tuning while the melody is developed on the treble strings. It's a contemplative and moody piece. " The humorously titled "Guilty Studabaker" is a beautiful piece in open "C" tuning which demonstrates outstanding technique. "Color n Sound" shifts effortless between modal scales and minor key motifs creating a sophisticated yet simple sounding arrangement. The last cut, "Prague Suite" the longest cut on the album, is the song mentioned earlier that features Fred performing on the guitarrone, an instrument popularized by Los Lobos.
It's more of a suite, than an individual piece, with each movement building in intensity. The tonal qualities of the instrument lend themselves well to this piece. It has a slight Arabic flavor to it with the giant guitar at times sounding more like an oud. As the song progresses, LaRose skillfully varies the mood in subtle yet dynamic ways. The music will definitely liberate those trapped in fretboard purgatory. The straight forward production highlights the sparkling guitar work and in summary "Focus" is a very memorable collection of acoustic guitar music.

information: email address: frlarose@sirius.com

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