BHP 2024
On a mission to honor those who served for their homeland, Cape Canaveral dweller calls his brethren on a new aural trip.
& HEAVY FRIENDS –
Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes
Brian Tarquin’s allegiance to the red, white and blue cause may not sit too comfortably with some of his listeners from outside the United States – however, there’s never been anything gonzo about the American guitarist’s patriotic bent, because albums like this not only glorify veterans but also benefit the charity, Hope For The Warriors. More so, while the pieces gathered on “Beyond The Warrior’s Eyes” seem to pick up where its predecessor "Brothers In Arms" left off, stylistically it links back to “Guitars For Wounded Warriors” that began Tarquin’s quest one decade before he dared to add a vocal number to an otherwise fully instrumental endeavor, and reintroduces intrepid forays into hard-veneered fusion Brian’s famous for. Perhaps, the cut at issue, “These Colors Don’t Run” where Steve Morse’s harmonic flight and the late Phil Naro’s voice complement their host’s solemn melody and anthemic solo, handles the valiant matters of fighting for a person’s country in too literal a manner, yet such a ballad feels perfect for the platter’s finale.
Still, it occupies the opposite end from the record’s titular opener in emotional terms as well, as folk-informed, blissful passages of Jean-Luc Ponty’s violin jazz up Tarquin’s funky riffs, and when their strings works in unison battlefield images come to the fore, although genuine belligerence isn’t evoked until Eric Johnson and Dean Brown join in to turn “The Gates Of Valhalla” from a translucent idyllic landscape into a tight knot of filigreed notes. And if “Quiet Desperation” offers enchanting serenity in Brian and Robben Ford’s interplay, “Behind The Iron Curtain” goes for a hypnotic onslaught, with Chris Poland applying aggressive licks to the piece’s serrated edges, and “Faith & Hope” finds Morse and John Tropea elevate their friend’s adventurous spirituality to wuthering heights of symphonic scope. This scope will be taken further in “A Soldier’s Journey” thanks to the presence of Budapest Symphony Orchestra’s waves and the movements of Steve Kindler’s bow, but “La Sierre Del Norte” sees Carl Verheyen help his comrade to detail its arresting tune with equal elegance, leaving Larry McCray to supply a few flourishes for “Common Valor” to scintillate.
A honorable, honest effort.
****4/5
