by Billy McLaughlin
Narada Productions
[414] 961-8350
Guitarist Billy McLaughlin hails from Minneapolis - I saw him live there a couple years back in a big ol' smoky bar which seemed at the time to be his "home base club." I also had several conversations with one of his promoters who promised me an interview and never delivered.
Bitter? Nah.
The album title, Out Of Hand, is a play on the fact that the heart of the musician comes through the player's hands, and that with all this touring around, life itself can get "out of hand" and you lose touch with your friends and family. The success is nice, but being on the road can be a bust, for sure.
McLaughlin is a deft guitarist and his music is awfully good. He floats effortlessly around the guitar in these instrumentals, which I guess if you had to, you'd categorize as adult contemporary. The album notes call it "daring," but I'm not going to go that far. It's mainstream music, just very well done. It's not rock, and it's not jazz -- but it is touching and it makes you feel something deep inside by the time the disc is over. It's hard to say "what this stuff is." You'll just have to trust me.
Billy's playing is often very metronomic -- even when he's slow and tender there's a basic steadiness to where he's going. He's got a good ear for subtle dynamics and for giving every note its due importance; there's an occasional virtuosity that makes you wonder how he can do all that at once.
Unlike his earlier solo efforts, this one brings in drums, hip-hop loops, and keyboards to enhance the atmosphere - but the guitar always takes the lead. You can use this one for background or pay close attention to it if you've a mind to. (Does anybody do that anymore?) I found the liner notes a bit self-indulgent, so if you have the same problem, just listen to the music and read Proust.
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