Patrick Coman “Reds & Blues” Album Review and Preview
‘Reds & Blues’ is the latest from local music afficianado and songwriter, Patrick COman. This is undoubtedly Coman’s most impressive work to date. With a bluesy punch and a keen handle on great songwriting strewn across lively guitar arrangements, he has really found his sound here and ‘Reds & Blues’ articulates that sound wonderfully. Inspired by those that came before him, and those songwriters paid tribute to in his music series “For the Sake of the Song” Coman takes on a different style in each of the 7 tracks here that he has pulled some sort of muse from over the years. Such an incredibly cool concept and a really wonderful outcome from it, while remaining a cohesive work presenting a matured songwriter finding where he sits best.
Rock sentimentality. The first track, ‘Red Diamond Blues’, comes in hard with a standard blues riff with some added flair. It’s a clean sort of grungy sound. Well recorded, crisp, but with a bite that cuts deep. Something I told Patrick right after listening to it was the use of Danielle Miraglia in this track was perfection. Miraglia has such a strong, robust, and identifiable voice. She sinks into the mix like a comfy bed on a chilly December night. Warming the track up just enough, without taking away from Coman’s performance. A really great tune, with a lot of attitude and punch.
‘Foreign Tongue’ tones it down a bit, with spacey guitar echos and a more subtle, toned down sound overall. It has a cold night walking the squares of Camber-ville feel and flow to it. It’s the end of the night load out versus the live show feel. A nice change of pace and balance in comparison to the first tune.
‘Trouble’ has a f***ing groove to it. Man, it makes me want to move. With a great, simple piano over an acoustic guitar and the rest of the band playing the part perfect. Mirgalia’s voice is back in place of where one might expect a 3 part gal harmony, but all that is needed is D Mag’s powerhouse of a vocal. Perfect fit. Coman is able to take what is a standard progression and make it new, fresh, and interesting. The blues are in this dude’s veins and he mixes it very well with his folk and country influences. Like a fine blended whiskey, aged, and pour straight up…this stuff is smooth.
They really captured the live feel and energy in this recording. The guitar playing is fantastic, the rhythm section is super strong and keeps it all together and Coman’s attitude is intense and earnest in these tracks. It feels organic and natural, not like organic natural peanut butter or some shit, but just flowing nicely and as the songs kind of led them. Like, they just cut these tunes hanging out, the vibe and the enjoyment that they most definitely had while playing them shines through. Coman has really found his voice on this project. You can tell that he feels much more comfortable with his sound and his voice this time around, and it shows up tremendously in every aspect of this album. A great collection of songs with a truly fantastic back story of influences and inspirations.
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