Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

There are a couple of Eric Thompsons floating around northern California. This in itself wouldn't be unusual --- Eric Thompson is not exactly an unusual name --- but it's just a tad confusing, as they are both musicians, and dabble in similar genres. The older Eric Thompson has been kicking around for awhile now, and has shared the stage with a number of notables, not the least of which was a gentleman named Jerry Garcia. Eric the Younger was born in 1968, and is definitely a citizen of the world, having lived all over the western United States as well as in England, and having traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has carried his love of, and interest in, music with him, throughout his travels, having mastered both the guitar and the French horn at an early age. While MANIC + ORGANIC, his first CD, has a definite roots and country feel to it, his life experience has held him in good stead, so that what we have here is the mature work of a veteran musician. The guy was ready, and it shows.

There are all sorts of influences present on MANIC + ORGANIC but Thompson, for the most part, doesn't let his invisible mentors hijack the project. "Butterwillow" could be the perfect Flying Burrito Brothers track that they never got around to doing, while "Metamorphic Blues" has echoes of New Riders of the Purple Sage and Nashville Skyline-era Dylan without sounding precisely like either. And speaking of Dylan, "The Ballad of Pierre and Mademoiselle Revisited" manages to capture the mysterious atmosphere of some of his better work without sounding like a slavish imitation. Similarly, "It's a Guy Thing" could be a song that Lyle Lovett never recorded, but should. Thompson, nonetheless, occasionally wears his influences on his sleeve. "Turning On" gives you an idea of what would happen if Neil Young and Iggy Pop ever collaborated , and "Fragile," if you're not listening closely, sounds like a cover of the Rolling Stones' take on "Love In Vein." 

While Thompson occasionally needs to keep in check a tendency to meander --- "Three Souls" is an example of this --- he is not afraid to take chances, as he demonstrates on his unplugged version of The Who's "I Can't Explain," a dreamy, unharnessed ballad that closes the CD. At least it closes it temporarily, as Thompson comes back with two hidden tracks, an extended country- flavored jam that demonstrates the depth and skill of Thompson's session players, known collectively as The Butterwillow Boys, the other a piano and steel guitar driven ballad.

MANIC + ORGANIC is an impressive debut. It is obvious that Thompson has been waiting all his life to do this project, and it is just as obvious that he was ready. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him in the future.