Industry legend Les Fradkin is BACK! Songwriter, player, producer, and performer of classic and classical-leaning rock – and a more than capable George Harrison in the original Broadway performance of Beatlemania – Les Fradkin dazzles with two fresh tracks showcasing his brand-new Hallmark 12-string guitar: “Hurricane Warning,” and “12 Strings of Joy.” Ready to see what sun-dipped, epic-in-scope California rock Les Fradkin has in store? Let’s talk about it.
Listening, and talking about it.
First up, it’s the instrumental “Hurricane Warning” – a song featured prominently in the motion picture Accidental Icon – The Real Gidget Story. It starts with a darting, swirling, morphing, moog-ish arpeggio, like the gathering of a storm, perhaps. And then, the music kicks in with drums, rhythmic synth pulses, and that big-sounding, gloriously chiming Hallmark 12-string hitting ominous, sustained chords.
To signal the end, some furious guitar picking describes the storm’s final chaotic burst and its surprisingly hasty retreat. “Hurricane Warning” is propulsive, powerful, and expresses with urgency the arrival and acute pummeling of incredibly imposing weather.
“12 Strings of Joy,” another instrumental, goes all in, and does so immediately. It’s not your run-of-the-mill, sit-by-the-fire Christmas arrangement – “12 Strings of Joy” features Fradkin’s signature room-filling instrumentation, and the classic melodic line accompanied flawlessly, note-for-note, on the Hallmark 12-string. At about 1:12, the theme continues, but with more urgent variations, more agile guitar accompaniment, surprising chord changes, and then an almost jazzy interlude.
Returning to the main melodic theme, “12 Strings of Joy” ends with powerful and punctuated phrasing before hitting its final, song-stopping note.
But are they good?
Once again, Les Fradkin makes grand, orchestral, catchy, progressive-leaning rock, and he handles every aspect himself – and yep, that includes recording, mixing, and mastering. He’s been doing this, every aspect of this, for decades, and sits on a vast and ever-expanding catalog of hum-inducing results. Ready to celebrate lush, intelligent rock while preparing for forthcoming holiday festivities? Then give these two tracks a try – you won’t be disappointed, and you WILL be inspired. HIGHLY recommended.
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