Mike Daly's Renascence album review

Nathan Emerson · Post by **Nathan Emerson** » 17 Jun 2018 7:39 am

http://www.livegigsource.com/thanks-to- ... dal-steel/

Here is an excerpt of the review for Mike Daly's Renascence featuring LLOYD GREEN, DAN DUGMORE, BJ COLE, GREG LEISZ, ROBERT RANDOLPH and Mike Daly himself. The album is pure inspiration. In the review I did a track by track due to the frequency of genre and amazing guest talents contributing.

"Mike Dalyâ€™s Renascence album reminds me of a modern take of when all the classic pedal steel guitarists released instrumental albums. These guys released jazz albums that would knock the socks off of todayâ€™s jazz heads. Check out Buddy Emmons or Julian Tharpe. Some of these cats attempted to push themselves in a time of experimentation and discovery for the pedal steel. The tuning was changing and many people were all sharing ideas, which was different compared to the generation before that kept their tunings secret. Country rock was on the rise and most of these players learned playing Western Swing or Hawaiian, so country music was just something they did mostly for a paycheck. Go ahead and beat me up for saying this but when they played live at weddings, dives, or roadhouses I can guarantee they did not play strictly country. These albums let the artists stretch out while proving their skills and knowledge were not just solely honky tonk. Renascence has the energy you discover when vinyl digging and find an old Flying Fish label album or when a man name Scotty dedicated his life to promoting the steel guitar and personally produced steel guitar albums because he knew nobody else would BUT had to let others hear this music! The pedal steel instrumental album it reminds me most of is Suite Steel which featured five of the most prominent figures pushing boundaries in the 70â€™s. Iâ€™m positive that Mike Daly was inspired by Sneaky Pete and Red Rhodes when he heard that album. Sneaky Pete always rocked some of the craziest licks, and later on Red Rhodes made an album with plenty of FX that the steel probably wouldnâ€™t even be recognizable to a novice. This album collides so many crazy licks with FX and filters that I had to ask Mike what was going on! Renascence is an album that will inspire the next generation of pedal steel guitarists. It is like a present-day version of Suite Steel and features five guests, each of whom play with their own style and push boundaries. It is safe to assume Mike Daly is reviving the art of pedal steel experimentation. This album is fresh and is breathing life into what felt like a void for pedal steel collaboration."

FULL REVIEW HERE:

http://www.livegigsource.com/thanks-to- ... dal-steel/
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Mike Daly · Post by **Mike Daly** » 1 Jul 2018 10:23 am

Thank you Nathan for this in depth review of the new album... It was such a pleasure to have Lloyd Green, BJ Cole, Robert Randolph, Greg Leisz, and Dan Dugmore all contribute their individual voices and artistry to this recording. Thank you all..

Chuck S. Lettes · Post by **Chuck S. Lettes** » 3 Jul 2018 8:03 am

Iâ€™ve been enjoying Mike Dalyâ€™s new cd, â€œRenascence.â€ In addition to the unique sounds of his guest artists, I especially like how Mike fits the steel guitar into all different styles of music. Of course, in most instrumental music it is all about melody. Mike uses many different steel guitar tones, electric and acoustic, a good choice that gives the tunes different musical textures and "ear candy." My favorite cut is the Old Friends/ Lenny medley, as both of those tunes bring back good memories, and I enjoyed hearing them on steel guitars.
Nice cd, Mike. Very musical, but I bet you donâ€™t get to play these tunes with some of your road bands (Ha!)
Chuck

Spencer Cullum · Post by **Spencer Cullum** » 3 Jul 2018 5:47 pm

Fantastic work Mr Daly

Just got around to listerning to my copy and itâ€™s absolutely wonderful

Especially dig the BJ Cole â€˜Richard Thompsonâ€™ cover Dimming of the day

Congrats my friend ðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ‘ðŸ¼

Spencer

Mike Daly · Post by **Mike Daly** » 24 Jul 2018 7:28 am

Thanks Chuck & Spencer..! And yes Spencer, BJ Cole shines on his track..So honored to have him as part of this recording...ðŸŽ¶â˜®ï¸

Bob Grado · Post by **Bob Grado** » 24 Jul 2018 12:51 pm

Downloaded it on iTunes. Great cd no doubt about it.
I can't stop listening to " Fire Drill".

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 24 Jul 2018 8:00 pm

I enjoyed how these great players on this CD expanded the sound of the instrument into new directions. This is new material and new styles of playing.

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 26 Jul 2018 1:53 pm

I listened to the CD in one sitting yesterday. I put it on, did a quick scan of the credits and turned it up to a nice volume.

At first I was doing the steel geek thing....trying to pick out each steel line, considering how it might have been played, stuff like that.

I quickly got immersed in the melodies and great sound of the recording, such that for the first time in a great while I could simply listen to a steel guitar CD and appreciate that it was really really really good music! No it does not sound like traditional E9 steel guitar, or any other traditional steel guitar for that matter. Most people in the general public would have no idea a steel guitar was even on the recording and of course they don't care anyway. It was a very enjoyable listen and I would recommend it, unless you are one of the closed minded people.

I think it is a real good example of steel guitar used in a contemporary setting. There is great potential here. Great job Mike and company!