181.4 Degrees from the Norm!
Issue 6, Year 2: February 15th, 1997

REVIEWS:
Andy Cahan
"Snarfel"
Hamana Records

This album was a collection of Andy Cahan's music over a four decade career. He had samples of the 60's through the 90's and the one time period I found interesting was the 1970's. In order to cover the lengthy career of Mr. Cahan there were 25 songs on the album. Unfortunately I found only two that I enjoyed. "Dona" and "Mary Jane" were both instrumental pieces, but they showcased his talent of incorporating several sounds into a beautiful piece of music. His use of woodwinds and sax on "Dona" added a tender feeling to what was already an enchanting song. The other instrumental song "Mary Jane" was simple, yet effective with the recorders and acoustic guitar played by Cahan.

He is a very capable keyboard player, guitarist, and he sung on only two of the tracks, which were "I've Been Thinking" and "Gonna Need." The "Gonna Need" song was quite funny because it was basically telling where he needed his baby-- on the road, in the bathroom, in his bed, and several other places. I thought that he had a good voice, and I felt that he should have showcased his talent for singing instead of having a host of others take on the vocal duties on the 23 remaining songs.

The 1970's are back this decade...... and I wish that more of his music from that period was showcased on this album .


Ian L. McDowell