Fernando Perdomo 2025
Defining time through song, Florida-born musician takes a look at the tuneful world he created.
45’s: The Best
Provided how prolific this artist is, Fernando Perdomo‘s decision to commemorate his turning forty-five with a compilation titled “45’s” may overwhelm potential listeners, yet their initial shock should pass when it becomes clear that, instead of plucking a catalogue entry for each year of his age, the American multi-instrumentalist let the nominal number dictate a singular approach to his choices. Again, given Fern’s usual focus on albums which he’s been releasing at an alarming rate, albeit without any noticeable drop in quality, an idea of single rarely occurred to Perdomo, but erudite knowledge of the rock field allowed him to extract A- and B-sides of hypothetic 7-inch platters from each of the sixteen records Fernando issued under his own name, largely excluding his infinite collaborative efforts and featuring only voice-adorned cuts. The results of such a culling seem quite unexpected, though, because Perdomo’s regular forays into prog get ignored here and are overshadowed by top-notch pop pieces with a country tinge.
Partially refreshed via remixes and concealing Easter eggs for connoisseurs to savor, these offerings even suggest a loose concept, and the majestic “We Were Raised With Headphones On” adds a meta level to the whole double-disc playlist. Those in the know will latch onto “Smile” and “Keep Your Chin Up Girl” – the former a chamber update of a Charlie Chaplin classic and the latter a scintillating sequel to the ARGENT perennial – which indicate Fernando’s firm grasp of songwriting essentials, be it torch balladry or tinseled psychedelia, where his vocals shine. However, the punchy likes of “Spotlight Smile” and “Girl With A Record Collection” underscore Perdomo’s approach to melody much more profoundly. And if the acoustically driven, panoramic “Searching For Myself” from "Self" shows him as a deeply introspective auteur and “The One You Run To” exposes intimate aspects of his oeuvre, the exquisitely strings-drenched “Sundays” off "Zebra Crossing" finds the young musician in the company of spoken-word veteran Stephen Kalinich, and the raga-tinctured “Stay With The Friends” stresses the arresting strength of Fern’s arrangements. Still, the boisterous, “Steal This Song” brandishes a heavy riff, “Let Me Love You” swings around a few effervescent figures, and “Release” resolutely marches towards retrofuturistic raptures to widen the variety of Perdomo’s output.
Several singles that landed on “45’s” don’t require a lot of space to unfold their grandeur and stop short of crossing a two-minute mark, the gentle “Harmonics And True Love” just one example of these succinct bursts of sentiments, but of course, the cover of “Moon River” needs proper span of time to transform into a groovy track, and “Turn Your Lights Down Low” calls for longer run to fully expand its hypnotic cosmos. Yet whereas Fernando’s magic guitars weave an enchanting web on “Home Is Wherever You Are” and some of his other solos are equally wondrous, Perdomo’s performances take a back seat to his talents as a composer here.
Happy Birthday, dude! Long may you roll!
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