Winnipeg guitarist Tangent Project spent 18 months living in Mexico and returned home with his first album in a decade. The resulting music has rounder notes and warmer tones with a more human touch than his last effort, 2003’s Emoticon. The sound itself on Calm After The Storm is mellow mix of Lee Ritenour, Chris Rea, and Keller Williams; light and earthy, and warrants comparison to Ritenour’s Portrait and Keller Williams’ Breathe.
The connection between song titles and music is tenuous at best for listeners when it comes to instrumentals, but with Calm After The Storm, the song titles are as integral to the experience as they for Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition; they eloquently frame the music contained. The result is a pleasant journey through Tangent’s vacation photos. He does an excellent job of imparting his experiences, especially the intangible, emotional elements to the listener. “Just Another Rainy Night” sounds like a walk in the warm tropical rain. “Night Walk In Centro” has a slight Dick Tracy surf feel, and “Mariposa Dangerosa” creates the air of excitement you feel as you explore your new surroundings with light staccato bup-bup-bup-bahs.
It’s a wonderful Sunday afternoon album full of hooks, riffs, and understated melodies that quietly embed themselves into your brain, emerging in the tunes you hum as you walk down the street.
(Independent, tangentproject.com) Broose Tulloch