ERIC MANTEL: The Unstruck Melody

Cover	Release	Style
	2006	Lots of….
	Label
	Holestic Music Entertainment (independent)
	Website
	http://www.ericmantel.com
	Contact
	ericmantel@sbcglobal.net swilsonfx@hotmail.com
	Playing Time	Cat. N°
	78:56	HME0888
	Review by/Translated By	Rating
	Johan / Reggie	9,5/10
nederlands	Review
With this album, Eric Mantel has made a big impression on me. Every time I listen to it, I discover something new, and it was clear from the start it wasn’t going to be easy to put into words. “The Unstruck Melody” is, basically, a musical journey through his entire career, which is very impressive to say the least. Eric learns to play the guitar from his brother Jon, also studying piano and vocals later on. Until the late 80’s, Eric plays in a lot of different bands, and takes lessons in the prestigious “Berklee School Of Music”. There, he meets guitar-legends Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Al DiMeola, Steve Morse and Ted Greene, all of them proving to be great influences on Eric’s playing. In 1990, The Eric Mantel Trio receives worldwide recognition for their album “The Politics Of Experience”, and as a result, some articles from Mike Varney appear in “Guitar World Magazine”. In the 90’s, Mantel finishes a lot of projects in different styles of music, working together with great musicians like David Ragsdale (Kansas) and others. Furthermore, apart from being a talented singer/composer/musician, he has also grown to be a great entertainer and teacher. With such an incredible background, it’s hardly surprising that his new album, “The Unstruck Melody”, turns out to be a real jewel. Mantel’s style on this album reflects the many different influences accumulated throughout his career, including mainly jazz, pop, rock, fusion, classical, ballads, funk and country. “The Unstruck Melody” opens with a sample of a radio, constantly being tuned to a different station, playing songs in the diverse musical styles mastered by Eric Mantel. This is followed by “Tribute”, a hard-rock song in true Vai, Morse and Satriani style. You get jazzy-pop with “The Simple Thing”, than a swinging “The Real You”, and the jazz-oriented “Tai Chi”. Proof that Eric doesn’t mind a little mainstream pop, is given with “Shine On”, “Merry Go Round” and “Gloria”, all perfectly acceptable for radio-play. A guitar-synth is used for “Under A Different Light”, playing a jazzy melody. “Why So Lonely” is a ballad, and unfortunately not the best song of the album. “Exit 10” then, is a nice rock/fusion instrumental, while “Intermission” has certain Eastern influences. Even a classical guitar piece, “Affectionately Yours”, is played with extreme purity. “There are No Words” forms a bridge from jazz/fusion to the passionate soloing in “Wings Of Fire”, displaying a funky groove also found in “Only Want Your Love”. Paula Mantel, Eric’s sister, sings the intro for the pop-ballad “True Home”. One of the only musical styles not covered yet is country, and that’s exactly what you get with the fast “Finger Pickin’ Country”, followed by “The Unstruck Melody (Reprise)”. This last song is not a repetition of the first track, but rather a continuation. “Don’t Let The Day Go By” is, in my opinion, a disappointing rock-ballad, while “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die” finishes off the cd in radio-style. This album is partly instrumental, but even Eric’s vocals are performed exemplary. Eric Mantel not only shines as a guitar player, but the sound and overall production is of the utmost quality. With over 40 endorser contracts, Mantel certainly seems to explode with energy and recognition. The writing “Let the musical journey begin” on the inside cover, is most definitely not misplaced. The music even had a soothing, relaxing and spiritual effect on me. Eric Mantel is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile guitarists in existence, and aptly named “Chicago’s best kept secret”. Highly recommended!
Musicians
Eric Mantel: Vocals, Guitars, Guitar synth, Talk box, E bow, slide John Falmstrom: Bass Rusty Hall: Keyboards Pat Doodly: Drums, Percussion Keith Marx: Back-up vocals (track 3,6,8,9,12,17,20) Amanda Elliot: Back-up vocals (track 3,6,8,9,16) Mari Zen: Back-up vocals (track 3,6,8,9,16) Paula Mantel: Lead vocals intro (track 17) Rich Koch: Pedal steel guitar (track 18) Clar Monaco: Sitar Gigi Monaco: Tanpura, Tamboori Anil Datar: Tablas Rose & Shari Joly: track 21
Tracklist
The Unstruck Melody (3:10) Tribute (4:40) The Simple Things (6:37) The Real You (3:59) Tai Chi (5 :31) Shine On (3 :50) Under A Different Lite (4:14) Merry Go Round (4:11) Why So Lonely (4:06) Exit 10 (3:43) Intermission (0:45) Gloria (3:50) Affectionately Yours (3:50) There Are No Words (3:56) Wings of Fire (4:35) Only Want Your Love (3:35) True Home (4:07) Finger Pickin' Country (2:17) The Unstruck Melody (Reprise) (1:20) Don't Let the Day Go By (5:14) Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die (1:11)
Discography
NRG – EP (1978) Dark horse – EP (1981) Spice – EP (1982) Montage (1983) Surrender – EP (1987) The escape – EP (1989) The politics of experience (1990) The streetville recording sessions – EP (1992) A time to remember (1995) Guitars at an exhibition - volume 1 (2000) Guitars at an exhibition – volume 2 (2004) The Unstruck Melody (2006)


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