Mark Williams - Ghosts of Eden

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Great all around sound. Definitely a cd you can keep on repeat and enjoy throughout the day. Great groove and strong imagery make this cd a must have. Perfect for any fan of the Jackson Browne era.

'Ghosts' is Beautifully Haunting By LARRY KNIGHT Life is a beautiful thing. It is often simple and special, providing us with a multitude of memories that, when taken as a whole, makes us laugh and smile. On the other hand, life is also filled with precarious situations and events that often inspire us to make sacrifices and decisions; both giving us the impetus to preserve what we love and hold dear. To some, it’s that special part of a loved one’s voice, to others it’s the fondness of a kiss. To writer, musician Mark Williams, it’s the beauty of the world and the emotions that exist with in it. From the moment Williams’ independently produced CD, Ghosts Of Eden begins, listeners are catapulted into a place of beauty and emotion. The opening track, ‘Crawl Across The Holyland’ provides a subtle, yet powerful introduction to a project that has taken years to make. With the haunting strum of his guitar, the warmth of cellist Linda Minke’s cello, and noted musician Bill Pillmore’s lap steel guitar the track sets up a beautiful collage of feeling that somewhat resembles a classic folk album, without the obviousness of cheesy imitation. In fact, Williams has assembled a cast of musicians that breath originality into the project, partly because each has amassed a breadth of individual work that gives them instantaneous credibility and respect among local Jacksonville artists, as well as industry executives. And with Williams at the helm, the CD takes on a multi-faceted appearance that automatically appeals to avid music lovers and first timer listeners alike. Many of the tracks on Ghosts appear to do just that; provide listeners with a wonderful array of sounds and words that connect them to the soul of a master guitarist. On ‘These Things Happen’ a track in heavy radio rotation in Pennsylvania, Williams gives a sardonic view of the world through the eyes of a pensive, yet optimistic observer. The stark images found in this track offer the impression that the artist has endured much in his lifetime, and each time he seeks to channel those experiences through his music, the end result is a sarcastic piece on the acceptance of life’s ills. Williams’ enlistment of a cadre of seasoned musical veterans has enabled this freshman effort to attain an almost classic status. Whether it’s Bill Pillmore, former member of the 1970s band Cowboy, and frequent collaborator with the legendary rock group, The Allman Brothers; Landon Walker, acoustic bassist, who has played with a number of jazz legends including Dizzy Gillespie; or Craig Barnette, former percussionist for Jacksonville based group Mofro, the album achieves a mood of heartfelt sentimentality, a testament to the tireless efforts of its creators. With so many collaborators on Ghosts it would seem as if each musician would succumb to ego and seek to surpass the next, whether it be in their playing or their communication of beliefs. Not the case here, the themes of life, death, redemption, and struggle, to name a few, are masterfully delivered without a hint of sermonizing. In fact, the most socio-politically charged track on the album, ‘Witch Hunts’, is delivered with as much fire as a Sunday morning minister, while at the same time allowing Williams’ lyrics to share an open-minded view of the world. In it, he gives a scathing overview of the world we live in, a world that is rife with political systematizing, technological dependence, and the eventual isolation of dissenting freethinkers. But as Williams leads this charge to change worldviews, he also finds time to inject the ubiquitous theme of love into his effort. Though many musicians include love-themed tracks onto their albums, he seems to use the related themes of passion and loss as a basis for his. On perhaps one of the most beautifully constructed track found on the album, Williams and guest vocalist Michelle Barry, provide listeners with a striking look at an old theme. ‘South Of Savannah’ is a breathtaking treatment of adult love that is more about a taste of adoration and the craving of obsession, than that of the typical message of love portrayed on most albums. That theme is continued, though intensified, on ‘Erased In The Dark’, a track that solemnly conveys the emotion found in the loss of a loved one, in this case, a father. Williams’ projection of this hurtful acceptance is a loving tribute to his father battling Alzheimer’s. Although this track seems to connect to a very personal experience in the musician’s life, the listener is not isolated from its sentiment. While many albums possess a certain charm that captures the moment in which it was conceived, Ghosts has the allure of an old record while maintaining a freshness that only seems to grow better with each listen. The vibrancy of each track, along with its flawless chronology makes this album one for the ages. The last track, ‘Snow Falling’ is perhaps a fitting end to the album, giving the project a stark realism that is accented by the piercing otherworldly shrieks of Linda Minke’s cello and Pillmore and Williams’ guitars. In addition, the vocals give the track a meditative quality that is very reminiscent of Alice Coltrane or The Moody Blues at the height of their careers. It is a resolution piece; a very beautiful, euphonic closing to a story that seems to drift off into vastness of space rather than fade into the nothingness that is the ending of a music project. In the end, it is important to note that even though Ghosts was recorded in Pillmore’s studio in St. Augustine with the aid of grant funding, the album sounds as crisp and as rich as any multi-million dollar produced recording. It has a texture that is very difficult to acquire, especially on the first attempt. The only drawback is that the album tends to make the listener long for more, and since he spent a year recording his magnum opus to life, there will be a great many eager souls anticipating his follow-up. www.knightsaffinity.blogspot.com

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