Eric Martinez

Caldera

Color Red, 2022

8/10

Listen to Caldera

The Denver resident Eric Martinez fleshes out an album of all originals, where he takes help from some impressive names such as Todd Nance (Widespread Panic) and Daniel Hutchens (Bloodkin), plus many more.

“Laura Lee” gets the listen off to warm, soulful start, where expressive singing and retro-rock ideas enter the melodic climate, and “Hollywood Harlequin” follows with a swift and breezy spirit, as thumping drums and precise guitars make for a rootsy delivery.

“Rooming House” and “Dirty Martinis” land in the middle, where the former is a lush, intimate display of rugged yet tuneful song craft, while the latter emits a timeless folk-rock demeanor that’s poetic and sometimes a bit more forceful.

Close to the end, the gritty “Here Comes The Wind” swirls with a harmonic presence amid the underlying rock’n’roll ruggedness, and “Can’t Stand Up” exits the listen with a cautious, dreamy landscape that illustrates the depth of Martinez’s vision.

Martinez also takes help from Eric Carter, Josh Stack, and Stefan Kruger, and together it makes for a very diverse and nostalgic listen that borrows from classic rock, blues, ‘70s sounds and Americana, among other influences, for the very unassuming listen.

Travels well with: The New Mastersounds- The Deplar Effect; Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal- Green Light