Local Exposure: Scott Blasey–January 6th, 2000

Local Exposure
CD Reviews of Area Musicians

Scott Blasey
Shine

by Jason Timoll

From note one, I could tell that I had not heard song writing like this in quite some time. Scott Blasey, lead singer and guitarist for The Clarks, has ventured out on his own with a CD, Shine, that is perhaps more ‘root-sy’ than a full band-Clarks CD would naturally be.

Released on King Mouse records, Shine is a true testament to the power of lyric and the use of beautiful and simple melody arrangements.

I found myself exceedingly pleased as the CD went from one track to the next. It is quite evident that Blasey and his crowd are no strangers to studio and production work. This is a full tilt radio-ready CD that, if marketed properly, will sell itself to those in search of a ‘touch-your-spirit’ type of album.

Shine is a collection of eleven tracks that keep the disc in a rather melancholy mood throughout. It is neither folk nor country — and it’s not soft rock — but it’s definitely American. Hmmm? What is it? Well, Scott Blasey has the very unique ability to cull the most amount of emotion available from two chords and ensure that those two chords effectively capture his thought.

In track number one, “Does Your Harbor Light Still Shine?” Blasey allows for the use of primarily two chords during the entire length of the track. When listening to the track, I found myself yearning for a harmony structure that did appear in the chorus but would not emerge fully until later on in the album. This song dabbles in the heart of a person at sea longing for human contact that can only be found on land. He changes the lyric of the chorus as the track progresses — allowing it to grow and develop until sonic completion.

See Scott Blasey and The Clarks at the Crowbar in
State College on February 11.

Track two, “Born Too Late” uses the folk tradition of naming many characters in each line. Remember “Michael Row your boat ashore”? Though the inclusion of so many names can’t have faces in a three-minute song, the style adds a very personalized, if not subtle, effect. The use of twelve-string electric guitar and mandolin are very refreshing in this track and separate this song as one that I came back to several times upon first hearing the record.

Track three, “Cry,” is, like much of this album, in the tradition of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It is on that track that the most powerful use of Blasey’s voice comes to the fore — largely in a layering format. Like a quiet storm, this track is both slow and powerful. The harmony form in the chorus is stylistically like a fifties soda shop, but is much more modern and timely in it’s inflection.

Interestingly, from tracks four to six, the CD takes a distinct, yet very smooth, transitional turn. It is a turn south. Track four is the disc’s first modern country-sounding track — with a touch of twang. While there is nothing on this record that is “tear in your beer” country, the inclusion of the three tracks cause the disc to that way just enough to make the record both breathe and change enough to be exciting. Tracks five and six, “Brand New” and “The Truth Will Set You Free” are true alternative country — with the zeal of hope pervasive through otherwise tested accounts of struggle within the human experience.

Again in tracks seven and nine, I felt the spirit of Steven Stills, as the presence of tribal hand drums set the tone. In track nine, “Tonight,” Blasey sings of the transition from boyhood to manhood and all the emotions that come in those changes. He wails, “In this life, you’ll see, that nothing’s going to come for free.” Blasey couldn’t be more right.

This is far and away the best CD I have reviewed in over six months. Shine is simply a collection of the music I like — it’s a perfect example of song-smithing or song crafting. To be sure, the most intricate mending of lyric, varying form, and melody exist at every turn on this record. I give this album a perfect ten.

Look for Scott Blasey and the rest of The Clarks at The Crowbar in State College on February 11 and check their website at: clarksonline.com, for the latest news and information.