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Reviews: Lyle K'ang ~ Before 3003 – Peace and Tranquility
Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2007 @ 00:59:45 PST
Topic: Reviews
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Artist: Lyle K'ang
CD: Before 3003 – Peace and Tranquility
Home: Yakima, Washington
Style: Rock
Quote: "If we had more folks like Lyle K’ang, I’m sure we would reach true peace and tranquility long before 3003."
By Dan MacIntosh
I was a little surprised when I compared the CD picture of Lyle K’ang with the contents within. For example, the reggae of “By the Sea” does not match the gray haired man in the raincoat on the front cover. Honestly, I expected middle-of-the-road big band covers, or traditional country at the very least. But K’ang is a philosophical rocker, instead, and a good one, too.
And while he knows how to rock, he doesn’t do so in a thrash-y, punk-y, or bludgeoningly heavy metal manner. Instead, he – to quote an Echo & The Bunnymen song title – does it clean. This approach is exemplified by “Morning Glow,” a song directed at someone who left him high & dry, which chugs along with stately electric guitar groove.
“To Know You” shows another side of K’ang’s musical personality. Over acoustic instrumentation and sweet fiddle coloring, he sings a song directed at parents who have lost a child. “Boy I thought you were buried long time ago,” he sings at one point. Unfortunately, memories are harder to bury than bodies.
K’ang has one of those professionally trained voices, which makes everything he sings come off pitch-perfect. And experience in musical theater has prepared him for just about anything. For instance, “By The Sea” is followed by “Darling," which plays out like a one-man doo-wop track.
But songs like the opener, “Immediate Situation," express K’ang’s muse best. K’ang titles his CD Peace and Tranquility, but he finds it hard to be either peaceful or tranquil when the homeless “live under a tree.” After an orchestrated opening, this track goes into a sharp, electric-guitar-led rock feel. Then on “Little Boy Joe” he sings: “Heal the world, you know if I can, laughter is so rare.” It’s as if to say he wishes for a better world and hopes to be part of that utopia, but reality gives him severe doubts about any such peaceful and tranquil future. But to do his part, all of the proceeds from the sale of his single, “Immediate Situation," go to construction funds for the homeless and veterans. Yep, he puts his money right where is mouth is.
It’s likely Lyle K’ang’s image and music won’t exactly seem to match for you either. But if you give this CD a good fighting chance, it’s bound to grow on you. K’ang has his music and his heart in exactly the right place. If we had more folks like Lyle K’ang, I’m sure we would reach true peace and tranquility long before 3003.
Artist Website: http://www.lylemyway.com
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| Article Rating | Average Score: 4.45
Votes: 11
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