TIA CARRERA (The Quintessential) CD
Let there be jam! It's safe to say that this is the guideline for the Texas band TIA CARRERA who have also internalized the spirit of Jimi Hendrix. Suddenly Carlos Santana appears (of course, it's the Woodstock incarnation, when he was playing original music while trippin' on LSD) and adds a good dose of heavy Latin-esque stuff to TIA CARRERA's fully improvised monster jams. A singer is not needed, because guitarist Jason Morales fills three of the five tracks completely with his tube-driven, psychoactive licks and solos. The opening track 'Home' is just a mellow start, before 'The Unnamned Wholeness' arrives much like an approaching thunderstorm. J. Morales earthy and crunchy guitar tone as well as his impressive performance are definitely the main attraction in TIA CARRERA's ritual worship of the heavy sounds from the late 1960's.
However, the rhythm section, consisting of drummer Eric Conn and bassist Andrew Duplantis, is not lagging behind in this respect. E. Conn's unique powerful drumming style and A. Duplantis energetic basslines are woven together into tight and impermeable structures on which the guitar finds complete expression. Within their musical framework it is therefore necessary to extend the running time of 'The Unnamed Wholeness' to twenty-two minutes plus. It takes the listener on a journey through different moods and influences that sometimes goes beyond 1960's/1970's territories. 'New Orleans' is the second centerpiece of this album even if it's "only" fifteen minutes long but time doesn't mean that much to TIA CARRERA. Some things need much time to unfold their full beauty, and also 'New Orleans' that wallows in Sabbathian blues. Later, the song draws closer to pure blues rock without losing it enormous punch.
'Gypsies' is caught between this epic chunks of pure heavy rock virtuosity and it can compare in every respect with its bigger brothers. It is quite impressive to hear how J. Morales takes his instrument to new heights of awesomeness to discover some seriouly hot 'n' crispy sounding tones. 'Hazy Winter' concludes the electric storm of 'The Quintessential'. It's the only acoustic and non-instrumental song where J. Morales shows that he's also a good singer. The gentle and folk-influenced sounds of 'Hazy Winter' are offering pure relaxtion and it creates a nice contrast to the core of the album. A massive production provides a huge sound and round off this heavy muscular spectacle. Here we have a truly superb album from a exceptionally inspired band and if you can't get enough from the heavy sounds of the good old days then TIA CARRERA should be on your next shopping list.
(KK)