Noir (Solo Violin Music)

Album Review

Stark and minimal at times, Chris Murphy doesn't just get your attention, he grabs you by the throat with his bow and violin. Eerie, dark, and mysterious, the musician weaves a series of genre-crossing tracks that often have him being front and center as he is for "Tango." While a bass is heard, it is the crystal-clear violin styling which enables Murphy to showcase his goods. The atmospheric and quasi-ethereal "Desert Star" is a barren effort with delicate and very deliberate solos, recalling something off of a Ry Cooder soundtrack. Here the musician doesn't do any rapid, string-punishing solos, but there is always that thought in the back of the listener's mind. The first diversion from this "noir" aura is the slightly uplifting and rhythmic "Café Noir" teeming with Latin overtones. Latin music is also drawn on for the equally inspiring and oomph-filled "Eddie's Mambo," which brings Latin, traditional "mountain," and Celtic music together. Murphy misses the mark with a rather extended and slow pace through "Filbert's Rag," which drags on and on. Jazz and violin rarely mix, and this song only lends further credence to that idea. This is quite forgivable once the gentle, smooth solos during the rather folksy "Coffee and Candles" take hold, with the best performance thus far as a violin being plucked is accompanying the main track. Perhaps the backing sounds are at times overkill depending on the song. A good example of this is the crashing of waves supporting a rather insipid arrangement for "Time Is an Ocean," resembling Muzak more than music. "Moonlight Waltz" is another shining star as Murphy saves his most effective solos for this particular tune, mixing the best of Mark O'Connor and Natalie MacMaster. The sleeper pick would have to be "Grand Hotel," which opens in a classical-meets-Middle-Eastern lament manner but then stops on a dime, changes direction and picks up steam for an interesting and hypnotic remainder.