I’ve Chosen Love
Self-Released, 2021
8/10
A Nashville resident who embraces the lineage of his hometown but also touches on the spirit of Memphis, Reed Turchi is in fine company here as Heather Moulder contributes keys/vocals, Wallace Lester takes up drums, and Ben Sparaco handles guitar, to name a few, on a listen where half the album surrounds the theme of love.
“Tell Somebody What Love Is” starts the listen with warm keys and vocals from both Turchi and Moulder, as a thick version of roots rock flows with grit and melody, and “Don’t Let Love Slip Away” follows with a busy, groove friendly and bluesy display of soulful, southern rock ideas.
There’s just 8 tracks present, but each one is exquisitely fleshed out, including the Moulder dominated and very dreamy take on Americana on “I’ve Chosen Love”, while “Cicada Rhythm” offers a 6+ minute instrumental of deft drumming, glowing keys and hypnotic guitars. “All Night Long”, the longest and perhaps best song, then shuffles and bounces with playful guitar lines and crisp percussion as vocals are barely audible and used merely to accent.
The final two tracks are part of the tunes recorded deep into Covid, and were recorded in a Nashville backyard in an improvisational manner. “Hot Dog Of Innuendo” and “Goodnight Goodnight” are equally well done, where the former is full of dynamic, frisky instrumentation, and the latter is a more calm, bare exit of sublime, precise song craft that seems tailor made for late nights.
An album that touches on blues, soul, Americana, roots and with a healthy glaze of soulful grooves, Turchi actually released this album in conjunction with a 2nd record, Creosote Flats, and this prolific bout of creativity is an ideal listen for the long summer evenings on the horizon.
Travels well with: Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters- Rise Up; Erin Harpe- Meet Me In The Middle