Icarus CD Review – Katherine “Nana Mex” Juestel – Global Thunda Network
ICARUS ~ The Storm Is Here
Global Thunda Network – 1st Icarus Review – 1/02/2010
Anticipation or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure (and sometimes anxiety) in considering some expected or longed-for good event. ~ wikipedia
Several months ago I began pestering the hell out of two very special musos, one a Singer and one a Guitar Shaman, to have a listen to each others music. Anyone who has seen the video interview knows that each man’s reaction was less than enthusiastic. Believe it or not, I can be very patient, but there comes a time when patience runs out. Thankfully my “partner in crime”, who just happens to be married to the afore mentioned Guitar Shaman, was tuned into one of my last live shows and heard a track by the Singer and forcefully requested said Shaman to sit down and listen to the Singer’s MySpace tracks, while unbeknownst to the Shaman, the Singer had also just sat down to listen to the Shamans tracks. The rest is…..ICARUS.
Last week the pre-release run of ‘Icarus’ landed in the hands of the Shaman, known more commonly by the name of Graham Greene, and naturally your friendly neighbourhood Nana was not about to wait for the snail pace of AustPost to deliver the hard copy to my door, so a zip file quickly was sent and received with Joyous Anticipation. Because it was the middle of the night and I had been ‘blessed’ with a massive migraine, the file was settled carefully into it’s own folder awaiting the morning, a cuppa, and an hour of uninterrupted listening. Truth is I expected it to be one of the most spectacular Albums of my 60 years of music enjoyment. I was not in the least disappointed.
With a fresh cuppa and a freshly rolled ciggie at hand, I slipped into my recliner, raised the feet, settled the pillow just right, popped on my best set of headphones and settled back to have a serious listen to Jac Dalton’s ‘ICARUS’ all the way through.
The first sound to hit my ‘earballs’ was that of the Guitar Shaman himself. Graham Greene makes his presence felt from the very first note of ‘Waterline’. Graham makes a guitar do things that early electric guitar players, and most contemporary ones, could only dream of. When combined with the very well written lyrics, the outstanding Lead Voice of Jac Dalton and the melodic voices of Donna Greene and Darren Mullen in the backup, ‘Waterline’ draws one deep into the album and doesn’t let go!
Just as Waterline builds to an apex of brilliance, the next track, ‘For Your Love’ showcases the richness of the “Voice” that is Jac Dalton. A song written with love in his heart and his heart on his sleeve for the woman in his life, this song brings home the feelings we all have felt when our relationships get a bit rocky and we are determined to hold on and make it right.
From Love to the World, ‘Eye of the Storm’ reminds us, with consummate skill, that we don’t have time to waste if we wish to keep this world in one piece, Once again these two Titans of Talent have melded to create a Hurricane of Musical Category 7. If you are not a dedicated Jac Dalton fan by the end of this track…… you are obviously NOT a Rock Fan and should pass this album along to someone with better hearing.
What can I say about the next track, ‘Armed and Dangerous’ except… WOW! Rock and Roll! Get ready to Party!!!! Based on an Instrumental track from Graham’s album “Leap Of Face”, Jac’s inspired lyrics have taken both artists soaring to new heights!
‘Locked, Cocked & Ready to Rock’ is exactly as the title promises. Hang on to your hats, people, because this is going to blow you away! Fast, Furious and Loaded for Action, Graham’s guitar screams PARTY!
But lest the listener become too “Jac’d” up, along comes ‘Good to Go’. While not exactly a waltz, it does allow for the heart rate to settle back to normalcy, but not by leaving the listener wondering where the music went. Instead it builds from a more mellow start to a crescendo of magnificence that actually made me hit ‘rewind’ to have a second listen before moving on to the Title Track.
‘Icarus’ is loosely based on a true story of a young man who, on his “legal age” birthday decided to show the world that he was invincible, sadly to prove just the opposite. This is the track that is and will always be my own personal favourite. The best line ever in any song I have ever heard is in the chorus of this song. I leave it up to the listener to form their own opinions, but I predict we will hear a lot of “Icarus” the song for years to come.
Now we come to the one and only cover song on the album. What can I say to ‘Back in Black’? Many have tried to cover this, some have done well, others have fallen flat. Who would have thought that one could add the sound of a ……. naw, you must hear this for yourself. I refuse to ruin it for you. IMO this is the BEST version I have ever heard, and I have heard BinB played hundreds of times by hundreds of bands. With apologies to ACDC and my good buddies and GTN Artists Powerage, boys, Jac IS Back in Black!
Dedicated to the North Carolina Biker Pub of the same name, ‘Suck Bang Blow’ is THE new anthem for those who take to the roads on two wheels with power between their legs. If you love Rock and your Motorcycle, you will be singing this every time YOU hit the highway.
The entire album leaves the listener in, as the last track states, a “State of Rock”. Long live Rock, and long live Jac Dalton!
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Katherine “Nana Mex” Juestel
ICARUS is now available on iTunes.
A Special Feature Radio Interview with Jac Dalton, Graham Greene, Nana Mex & Donna G is scheduled to go to air on both AIR and Resonance Radio on Monday February 22, 2010 at approximately 8pm where the guys will talk about the making of ICARUS and the inside scoop on what’s been happening, with all tracks being introduced and played in full. This is an exclusive CD Release interview in all it’s glory and not to be missed ~ GTN’s first collaboration is born.
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Could anyone reading this website please contact me at [email protected]. I am a first cousin to Trina “Nanamex” Juestal, living here in the U.S.A. and have lost contact with Trina. Her telephone and email have both been disconnected. We were/are quite close contacting each other by email and telephone on a regular basis. I am needing to know if she is still alive or what is her condition. She seems to have just vanished. Thank you so much for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Norma J. Pippin