Secrets of Sherwood
David Falcone
County Clare Records
1997
14 tracks
Most acoustic finger-style guitar of the past two decades or so has been very sweet and quiet, with a sound that's either very Renaissance or very New Age. This may be a reaction against the loud and sometimes harsh sounds of much electric guitar music or simply against the many stresses of our modern age. David Falcone shows no such delicacy in his performance. There is an edge and an energy to Falcone's playing that brings to the forefront music that might otherwise be relegated to the background while the mind is engaged in other activities.
Playing solo, Falcone manages an effect that I've only noticed in one other contemporary guitarist, Don Ross. His intricate fingering creates the effect that there may in fact be another guitarist working with him on a particular song. This suggests an awareness not just of the mechanics of his craft but of its history. Where I believe I've heard this style of performance before Falcone and Ross is in flamenco and classical recordings made sixty or more years ago. It's apparent that Falcone is aware that he creates this effect of multiple guitars. He is careful in his liner notes and publicity materials to point out that his recording contains no overdubbing.
Like many contemporary musicians, especially in the folk and classical fields, Falcone doesn't make his main living from music. In fact, when he's not making music, he holds a well-paid full-time job. Normally, I wouldn't point this out about a musician. However, there is a notable difference with Falcone. Based on what I hear in their recordings and live performances, I believe many musicians who have full-time jobs as lawyers or school teachers or pastry chefs or whatever tend to coast when it comes to their music. They may be very good at what they do, but they tend to approach the music as a respite from their workaday life and they play only as well as they must in order to get and keep an audience. The competence and precision of Falcone's playing suggests that for him this is not simply recreation but a vocation. This is a player not afraid to push his musical limits or to take chances when performing for his audience.
Unlike many fingerstyle guitarists, Falcone also sings. Falcone's own "Met Her" and Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" add interest to an already varied performance. While perhaps not destined for the Top 40, Falcone is a competent singer with a pleasant voice and a certain versatility. "My Back Pages" has sweet pop-folk quality that in the right circumstances could pull those of us who were there right back to the mid-Sixties. This is a very pretty song. "Met Her" is harder edged, with a more traditional American folk guitar sound and an edgy, angry vocal.
"Sail Away" is also a vocal, but with a difference. This song is so laid back that it can be heard as an instrumental, the lyric touching only the unconscious mind. The lyric is simple to the extreme but never simplistic. Falcone's presentation has the sweetness of a Morris Albert or David Gates but softer and less edgy. The lyric, the vocal, and the guitar conspire to give the song a sweet faux Irish sound. The overall result is a sweet, beautiful song.
The purely instrumental tracks in this set are uniformly well played, so that to compare would tend to do a disservice to one or the other. Falcone is a talented composer who manages to write contemporary fingerstyle guitar melodies with a strong connection to the past. His polished performance only serves to enhance what he has written.
Based on only two lyrics, I would say that Falcone's writing is tight and evocative. While Falcone is a competent singer, I do wonder what these lyrics would be like if interpreted by a stronger performer.
Featuring mostly longish tracks, Secrets of Sherwood delivers excellent musical value. It would fit well in the collection of anyone who values excellent fingerstyle guitar or who simply enjoys well-played acoustic instrumental music.
Find out more about David Falcone, the man and the musician, at his unique dual-duty website.
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