Love Is a Road (CD) - Quarterflash

'Love Is A Road' celebrates and expands Quarterflash's signature pop-rock sound with lead vocalist/saxophonist Rindy Ross driving her husband Marv's songs with emotion and intelligence. This creative platinum duo that penned five top-forty hits in the 80's including their #1 song, 'Harden My Heart', bring a new lyrical perspective and an updated shimmering soundscape to nine new songs - demonstrating the evolution of their music while remaining true to their roots in rock, folk, and blues. The album kicks off with the celebratory 'I Can't Help Myself' - a funky 60's inspired testament to the joy of creating music in an age of artistic adversity. Gregg William's drumming (he also co-produced this album with Marv) drives this tune and Doug Fraser's inspired wah-wah guitar solo shines. 'All Diamonds' is a huge lush sensuous rocker espousing the divinity of evolution and the collective consciousness of all things on earth from newborn babies to magpies to redwood forests. 'We are all God, one soul, all diamonds from the same coal'. Marv's distorted chromatic guitar hook opens the tune and Rindy's bluesy vocals weave in and out of this ambitious neo-psychedelic anthem. The verses of 'I Want You Back' (cut #3) present a wry poetic lament on lover's regret that explodes into a chorus of raw longing and desire. Marv's acoustic guitar opens with a succession of 7th chords played with heavy finger vibrato which gives the tune a very Stones-y feel. Doug's Telecaster, played thru a Wurlitzer speaker, mixes perfectly with Mel Kubik's Melotron lines and all these touches give this song a luscious retro vibe with a soaring refrain. Marv & Rindy have only penned a handful of songs together, which makes the 4th cut, 'Love Is A Road' special. Tuning his acoustic guitar way down to an Fm7 tuning, Marv came upon chords that exuded both Middle Eastern and blues-based moods. Rindy began improvising over the chords and soon came up with a haunting melody and perfectly realized harmony parts as well. Inspired by their long relationship together, Marv wrote the lyrics to Rindy's melody which resulted in one of the best realized Quarterflash songs in the band's history. The last bit of 'magic' on this track was provided by Doug's de-tuned 1930's Gibson and guest Eddie Parente's 7-string violin. On the song, 'More', Marv was inspired to blend hip hop and NW grunge while poking fun at our cultural obsession with celebrities, sex, money, and power. Doug's outrageous octave guitar solo ironically underscores the humor in the lyric. 'Say What You Want About Love' is a great vehicle for the bluesy side of Quarterflash. Rindy's sax solo and vocal on this tune are among her very best. Denny Bixby, the bass player in Quarterflash, has an understated ironic timbre in his voice that perfectly suited the 7th cut, 'Adios (The Funeral Song)'. A short monologue written to a feast of minor 7th chords, 'Adios' explores the complex emotions of an aging musician attending the funeral of an old bandmate. Mel Kubik's lovely Wurlizter electric piano work on this tune gives it a Steely Dan flavor and another brilliant guitar solo by Doug plays off the clever key changes. 'Little Miracles (The Songs Rained Down)'' is Marv's song about songs. 'From the time I was very young and heard Mom playing piano, I thought music was magic. It just seemed like a miracle that someone could create something so beautiful with sound. One of my earliest obsessions was the harmony of The Beach Boys and we tip our hat to that a little in the instrumental bridge.' The last cut, 'Rock On Little Brother' is grungy, elemental, shout-out-loud blues based rock 'n roll and the perfect track to end, 'Love is A Road'.

Track List

1. I Can't Help Myself
2. All Diamonds
3. I Want You Back
4. Love Is a Road
5. More
6. Say What You Want About Love
7. Adios (The Funeral Song)
8. Little Miracles (the Songs Rained Down)
9. Rock on Little Brother