2 Nights Solo: Terry Tufts Live @ Rasputin's
Terry Tufts
Nutshell Music
1998
13 tracks
I may get myself in trouble with Canada's folk establishment. Terry Tufts is a bit of an icon in this part of the world. However, based on this release, it's hard to give him full marks. That this release is uneven may have to do with the fact it was recorded live or it may be that Tufts' substantial talents are not all-encompassing. I suspect the latter.
As an instrumentalist, Terry Tufts is a consummate professional, one who exhibits masterful technique combined with greater than average talent. As those who read liner notes will know, Terry Tufts can be heard playing a mixed bag of instruments on recordings by many of Canada's finest folk musicians. The same polished playing that shines through on those recordings also provides some of the high points on 2 Nights Solo.
Tufts' guitar fills out and brightens every track on 2 Nights Solo, but it is in the three instrumental tracks ("Hai d'Nor h'Aire," "October Gold," and "Soaker") that he demonstrates the range and virtuosity of his playing. In fact, they are three of the four best tracks on this release.
It's very clear that this is a live performance. In the instrumental pieces especially, one can hear the audience talking in the background. The sound of voices is far enough in the background to not be distracting, and it adds a certain ambience to the music as a whole. An unsettling strangeness is added about four minutes into "Soaker" when a male voice can clearly be heard snarling like a pit bull.
As a lyricist, Tufts is not as strong. As with many of today's singer/songwiters, Tufts appears to write technically well structured lyrics which tell commonplace stories undistinguished from a thousand others. I discuss only what Tufts appears to write because, unfortunately for those of us who listen to the words and like to look up the lyrics, no lyrics are included. [Absent six full panels of Tufts' face, the liner would have had plenty of room for lyrics.]
Included lyrics (or clearer enunciation) would have also helped clarify some uncertain words. For example, in "Only Half-Way Home", Tufts appears to be making a comparison (of himself?) with Foghat. Given his very non-rock sound, surely this cannot be what Tufts meant to say. Maybe "fog out" or perhaps "old hat" with the accents reversed on the syllables. As a singer, Tufts does seem to have his own unique diction. There are several other instances of indistinct pronunciations that make the words unclear.
Tufts is not a bad singer, but his voice is often reedy and irritating, as though he may be hitting notes just beyond his range. Of course rather than reflect Tufts' singing at all, this thin quality of his voice may be the result of poor recording techniques either at Rasputin's or in the mastering stages. Certainly the audience recorded on this release seems to quite enjoy Tufts' live performance.
On this release, Tufts includes two songs previously recorded by others. One is the Lennon/McCartney composition "With a Little Help From My Friends," which was always at heart a folk song. Tufts gives this one a nice interpretation marred only when he attempts to hit the high note on "do you need anybody" and only almost makes it. "I Remember You" is another story. In this song, Tufts seems not to be attempting to hit those Frank Ifield highs and stays within his own range. Tufts takes this country song and gives it a nice folk feel. It is, however, distracting when Tufts very aggressively pronounces "a few kisses ago" as "ay few kisses aygo" as though making some kind of a point.
"All You Really Need To Know" is perhaps the best song, and certainly the finest performance, on this release. Written by Tufts with two cowriters, this song features lyrics that are tighter written and more compelling than those of the other songs on 2 Nights Solo. Tufts' performance on "All You Really Need To Know" is restrained but evocative, injecting into this song feeling not always apparent in the others.
Terry Tufts manages to avoid one pitfall that seems to trap so many of his peers. Where singer/songwriters often write and sound like an agglomeration of their several influences, Tufts voice is all his own. Any influences he may have had have been seemlessly blended into the mix that is his own personal style. Perhaps it is this which has made him in turn an influence for many younger singers and guitarists in Canada and beyond.
If I may have sounded less than positive at times, don't let that stop you from buying 2 Nights Solo: Terry Tufts Live @ Rasputin's. This release may in some ways be uneven, but it remains an interesting mid-career snapshot of a contemporary folk artist who has the potential to become an important influence on the artists of the future.
Those who want to learn more about Terry Tufts can look him up on the internet at www.TerryTufts.com.|
Since about February 14, 2004, |
While you're here, please take the time to check out our sponsors below and on other pages.
Got a new or recent release you would like reviewed?
Click here 
for more information.
|
on Sound Bytes' Free-For-All Links page... Click Here.
Canadian.