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Caffery, Chris: Music Man (EP)

I have to give the guy credit for delivering a lot of music in a short amount of time. Chris Caffery not only recently released his double CD solo piece Faces, but has also made sure to give the fans some extra stuff on the EP versions for particular singles he wants to showcase.

This EP for Music Man is a welcome addition to the CD pile. It highlights one of the more radio friendly compositions from Faces. He also includes 4 new tracks as well. There is a clean version of "Pisses Me Off" which by making clever use of bleeps for the cursing, makes it a humorous listen. It also makes me find things that piss me off to compare notes to Chris' ranting and raving.

The main reason I made sure to review this EP was for its inclusion of two new Christmas tracks. Fans of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra might like that aspect right off the bat. I really enjoyed "What Child Is This" as it holds a similar power and feel to "Christmas Eve Sarajevo". Chris did a great job on it this one and it is getting serious play in my CD changer. The track "Christmas Is", is the more ballady track of the two , nice and pleasant. Among the remaining tracks "Amazing Grace" (from God Damn War) while poignant, I think would been best to be left on the main CD and given room for another track.

This is also readily available via the website and I recommend that since Chris often gives his fans some cool extras when they order online.

Track Listing
1. Music Man
2. What Child Is This
3. Christmas Is
4. Forever We'll Be
5. Pisses Me Off (Radio Edit)
6. Abandoned
7. Amazing Grace
8. Pisses Me Off

Added: April 8th 2005
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Chris Caffery Official Website
Hits: 3749
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Caffery, Chris: Music Man (EP)
Posted by Duncan Glenday, SoT Staff Writer on 2005-04-08 00:44:36
My Score:

Listen to Chris Caffrey's heavy and angry Faces album, and then to his mellow and elegant contributions to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas albums. It's hard to believe it's the same person. But spin Music Man, and you can easily reconcile the two faces of Caffrey. With some songs from Faces and some new material, it is the juxtaposition of songs in the short space of an EP that showcase Caffrey's talents and help bridge that chasm between the heavy and the melodic.

The most angry song on Faces was "Pisses Me Off", and it appears not once but twice on this EP. One is a 'radio edit' in which the Anglo Saxon expletives have been converted into electronic beeps and squeaks, turning it into a satirically amusing piece. The original version is still there, though, with all its four-letter expressions of frustration.

On the other hand the mellow "Music Man" and "Christmas Is" show Caffrey's real musicianship, and span the styles he's applied to his heavier stuff, the recent-era Savatage and those Christmas records. Similarly, "What Child Is This" is a wonderfully improvised version of the well known American Christmas song, which is sung to the tune that English readers will know as Henry VIII's "Greensleeves".

Chris's output has been prolific in the past year, and his very large and dedicated fanbase has been spoiled with not only a strong debut album but also the bonus CD God Damn War, and now Music Man - which collectively contributed to 2004 being one of the best years on record for great album releases.



» Reader Comments:

Caffery, Chris: Music Man (EP)
Posted by Colleen Cunningham on 2005-01-28 11:09:22
My Score:

I agree with your review, i have been giving chris' ep alot of time in my cd changer since i bought it in december. This man has certianly done an amazing job getting this Ep together. His Christmas tracks on it are a really nice touch. Hearing this definatly makes me want to get my hands on any new releases in the future




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