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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Ted and Majella

Better Together

Review by Gary Hill

This is an intriguing set of music. The "Ted" in this duo is Ted Turner, best known for his work in Wishbone Ash. Majella is his wife. They have created a fairly mellow album that features Majella's voice and some great guitar work. It leans toward rock, blues, jazz and adult contemporary music along with some other things.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
Better Together
Piano starts this. The guitar rises up to join. That guitar paints some cool jazz like lines of sound. The vocals enter to bring a soulful kind of vibe. The song has a bit of a jazz tendency along with rock and pop tendencies.
Dance with Me
A bit more of a rocking tune, this is a blues rocking piece. It has a real classic sound to it. It works really well.
Instairs
I dig the bluesy guitar on this cut. The tune has a mainstream rock vibe in a lot of ways. The vocals seem to bring some jazz to the table. It starts rocking out harder further down the road, really becoming pretty powerful as it does. The dropped down movement after that is packed with emotion and has some killer guitar work.
She
There is a weird kind of trippy introduction with a conversation about smiling "when you sing." Eventually the cut works to a jazzy, trippy kind of vibe for the vocals. This has a lot of cool rock and roll along with jazz and more in the mix. It's an effective number. In fact, it's one of my favorites here. It has some catchy hooks, too. There is some seriously cool slide guitar later in the piece, too. In fact, there is a real slide guitar showcase as it approaches the end.
Inside You
Piano and a trippy kind of slide guitar is the basis for this mellow tune. It's a balladic cut that works quite well.
Time to Fall Away
The guitar really shines brightly on this mellow kind of number, too. The vocals work well, though. The end result is something that's along the lines of a mellow, bluesy jazz kind of treatment.
Love Life
Built around a bluesy, soulful groove, this song is so classy.
Karmony
Although the basic mix of sounds is more or less unchanged from the last one here, this really feels more soulful and has a lot more energy. The guitar work is particularly strong, too. I dig the dual bit between their two vocals later in the track. This is one of my favorites here.
This is It
I dig this. It has a weird kind of trippy, jazzy, proggy groove to it. It makes great usage of both voices, too.
Truer Word Said
The piano and guitar seem to dance around one another on this number. This is a gentle piece that's quite pretty. While Majella's voice handles the lead, Ted Turner provides some solid backing.
I Found a Place
Piano starts this piece and it works forward in mellow ways. This has a real soulful vibe. It's a balladic number. While this is evocative, I think it's one of the weaker numbers here, and it tends to overstay its welcome a bit.
If You Believe
Another classy cut, this has a lot of jazz built into it. I dig the guitar work on this a lot. There is some jazz built into the tune. This is a particularly effective number, making a great choice for closer.
 
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