Manchester talent records masterful harmonies with contemporary unplugged summary  

FFO: Modern Folk, Acoustic, Alternative

Watching the videos and listening to the songs, the music arrives direct from the mind, heart and soul of the artist. Duncan Reed’s new album, The Road Part 1, embraces the musician’s influences and personal experiences through depth of creativity. The first half of the project will be followed later this year with a full band collection. A practice in patience and perseverance, for now, The Road Part 1 is the best way to go.

Listening and watching

A metaphor perhaps, The Road Part 1 radiates an acoustic atmosphere accompanied by Reed’s personal vocal touches and playing. An Alice In Chains aficionado (among others), The Road, available Mar. 1, 2021,follows the musician’s 2017’s Hypnotise. The Road Part 1, ten original songs penned by Reed, is drawn from the musician’s life and ideas since the last album. The first track, “Far From Home,” begins with a haunting acoustic guitar intro, the picking clear and emphatic. Fingerpicked notes emit a precise tone, surely a distinction of the player behind the frets. At :28, the singing begins, moody, earnest and alone. As the song unfolds, with eyes closed, comparisons to Peter Gabriel would not be considered out of the question.

Music videos are a terrific way of getting to know an artist, including Duncan Reed. The video for “Far From Home” features the musician singing and playing in different, often rural outdoor locations around Manchester. The footage is distinct and nicely edited. The reborn forest greenery and various settings add to the poetic solemnity and peace within Reed the artist.

Traversing the songs

Another highlight from The Road Part 1, “Semaphore,” about the shortcomings in digital relations, is an acoustic cut built with similar artistry and skill. Looking at the video for “Semaphore,” the imagery has a binary feel conveyed via black and white outlines. The visuals consist of stylized outdoor scenes, sometimes with Reed’s guitar capo’d at the third fret. The singing is melodic and artful with a special incorporeal essence. Additionally, the video accompanying the track “Mountain,” written about the eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 A.D., showcases footage from Reed’s trip to Naples, Italy. The scenery is breathtaking; add Reed’s music and something extraordinary begins taking over. The music syncs with the images for a wonderful cinematic ambience.

Other recommended tracks include “The Keeping Of The Bridge,” “Old England,” which has a bit more strumming and “Out Of Sight.” But enthusiasts will decide on the suggested cuts.

Listening through headphones and then on a home stereo system, sound production to The Road Part 1 is no less than brilliant.

The credits

The Road Part 1 is written and performed by Duncan Reed – guitar, vocals; featuring John Reed – cittern;   Matt Steady – fiddle, viola; Karoline Vik – vocals; and Sean Parry – vocals.

The Road Part 1 is recorded and produced by Ali Karim at the music producer’s home studio.

For more, please visit Duncan Reed’s official homepage.

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Paul Wolfle, the publisher of musicinterviewmagazine.com, is a web-based journalist who has written for several popular sites. Paul has a passion for connecting with a diversity of musicians who are looking to grow a positive presence on the World Wide Web.