David DeMordaunt explores nearly every avenue of progressive
rock on his second album, Blackbird’s Lullaby. While
his excellent guitar work has a thoroughly modern sound,
many of the tunes follow the sweeping mystical path for
which many 1970’s British prog rockers were noted. And
they’re often quite complex, with many swift changes
and differing time signatures. On the album DeMordaunt
is joined by drummer Mac Leckrone and a host of guest musicians.
DeMordaunt’s musical palette is expansive, and his
axemanship is compelling regardless of style. Some
tracks feature harder rock tones while others are jazzier. “Return
of the Green Faerie,” for instance, is like a psychedelic
journey of jazz fusion that melodically noodles into every
space of one’s imagination. DeMordaunt’s
voice isn’t as dynamic as his guitar playing and
occasionally falls a little flat. It sounds nearly
pitch perfect, however, on the eerie, Eastern-sounding “Left
Hand Path.”
Favorite Track: Track 7, “Wet Work”