Fernando Perdomo 2026
American polymath’s proof that eliminating lyrics from a song won’t necessarily make it less eloquent.
Guitar As A Voice
For all his erudite knowledge of pop and rock, continuous quest for obscure gems, and endless desire to experiment with sound, Fernando Perdomo does have favorite tunes, and recording covers always was this musician’s forte. Those usually involved vocals, though, with him assuming an arranger or producer’s role mainly to drive a performance in a few unexpected directions, yet, transforming a memorable top line into an instrumental piece has rarely been on Perdomo’s radar. There are many similar efforts, of course, but the fourteen numbers on “Guitar As A Voice” venture beyond the obvious both in their selection and the interpretation applied to the mostly familiar melodies – “mostly” because while some of the cuts on offer are part of our collective unconscious, others turn listening to Fern’s flights of fantasy into a guessing game. Still, instead of deliberately deviating from the source, he tried to find new ways to fathom the classic’s depth.
That’s why the American artist’s twangy reading of “All My Loving” could feel at home on his "Zebra Crossing" and the harmonic and moderately heavy reading of “Crazy Eyes” could serve as an addendum to the HALL & OATES tribute Perdomo curated in the previous year, yet they feed and fit this album’s masterplan quite nicely, too. What renders the platter’s special, however, is the fiery opener “Don’t Fear (The Reaper)” which is not only drenched in a surf-rock resonance but also features a quote from “Walk, Don’t Run” – contextually correct and immensely humorous – whereas dusting off of THE CARDIGANS’ “After All” shows Fernando’s fluid style and affinity for reflection work just as well with contemporary material. Toying with the audience’s mind, he wisely refrained from setting it as a logical finale, delegating the honors to GENESIS’ “Follow Me, Follow You” which brings forth a psychedelically fluctuating vibe as if to let everyone in on the player’s secret methods.
Perdomo may up his chameleon ante to channel The Quiet Beatle he’s a fan of on “I’d Have You Anytime” with its quasi-orchestral warmth, yet Fern’s fingers fill “Farewell To Paradise” from his fallen friend Emitt Rhodes with electric optimism much more effectively, as they passionately do on the ruminative, albeit upbeat, “Passing Through” by Marshall Crenshaw whom he’s been touring with for some time now. By toning down the organ-bolstered sparkle of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)” to imbue these staples with a richly-textured Southern mystique and go off on a sweet tangent here and there, the sonic tripper simply accessed a cultural cache to tweak the punter’s perception, but by delving into the luxuriant delight of Tim Moore’s “Second Avenue” – slider-caressed and given Jawn Star’s piano – and exploring the baroque depth of Judee Sill’s “The Kiss” he made the results seem gratifying to the nth degree.
With a vibrant bluesy dimension build around Carole King’s “Snow Queen” and lassitude of Stephen Bishop’s “Careless” making room for chamber exquisiteness, there’s a suspicion that guitar can actually possess a wider range of emotions than voice – which is not true, yet, as Fernando Perdomo convincingly demonstrated, it takes one’s soul to work wonders.
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