 Rajiv
Patel
"Obey the Cattle" CD
Sunset
Alliance
Genres: Middle Eastern, instrumental
Sunset Alliance
PO Box 32048
Mesa, AZ 85275
June 21 - 27 2004 |
Rajiv Patel is Before Braille's guitarist, and Obey
The Cattle is his debut solo album, released on Sunset Alliance a
short while before Before Braille's curiously titled Cattle
Punching on a Jack Rabbit. A love of cows certainly seems to
characterize these Phoenix-based musicians, but Patel's real
loyalty appears to lie with the guitar. He plays skillfully and complexly, with much
emphasis on complicated rhythms and Middle Eastern melodies unfamiliar
to most North American ears. Due to its uniqueness, this disc may
end up confined to a relative minority of music fans, although those
willing to give it a chance should be impressed - regardless of their
current musical hang-ups. Getting used to the Middle Eastern scales
and keys takes some mental adjustment; however, if you immerse
yourself in Obey the Cattle, you could find an album better
than most others you own, both technically and melodically.
Since this album is mostly instrumental, its variation from track
to track (all of which are assumed to be untitled due to the lack of a
track listing with this CD) is relatively subtle. Patel's
guitar playing is very powerful; if you let yourself relax and just absorb
the music, you'll likely find yourself quite moved by the sounds you
hear. All in all, this isn't a record for those short of
patience. If you're the type who's willing to really give a good
record a chance, Obey the Cattle won't disappoint.
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
