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A.J. Rosales - Resistor
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 The simplicity of a man and his guitar can be very prolific. A.J. Rosales embodies that description on his new CD Resistor. All the songs on the album are written and performed by Rosales, and most impressively, I might add. He has a great voice and is very skilled with the acoustic guitar.
I enjoyed the entire album tremendously and there were three tracks in particular that really caught my ear. The best vocal track is “Disturbance Around Me.” It runs nearly four minutes, which seemed appropriate for the instrumental interludes that Rosales provides in between his affecting vocals. He creates a wall of sound that is quite captivating, with both the vocals and his guitar; it is a twin attack on the senses. His strengths are in literally every area of this recording, which is a marvelous achievement that stands alone. He deserves plenty of respect from his peers for his performance on this CD.
The two instrumental tracks really stand out and show what a great six-string manipulator Rosales is. The title track is oddly enough instrumental; the majority of the album has vocals so I thought that this was interesting choice and presentation. I have no doubt a lot can be said without vocals, and in most cases, based on my listening experiences, instrumentals have a lot more character, depth, and it leaves a lot of room for the imagination to kick in and take you wherever you want to go. “Transistor” which is obviously the sister song to “Resistor,” is another picturesque instrumental, evoking many feelings and thoughts. It has many flavors including rock, blues and I heard a hint of Celtic influence as well. Actually, the tone and atmosphere that Rosales persuades from his guitar reminded me of one the most incredible guitar players in the world, Adrian Legg. Legg plays the acoustic guitar in unique way and for “Transistor” reminded of that.
I like complex music yet the simplest form of art can also be a very pleasurable occurrence as well, if in fact the performer delivers it properly with a lot of feeling and sensitivity. The meaning of a song, how the listener interprets all of the auditory impulses and feelings, is a key component for an optimum understanding of what the artist is attempting to convey. Hopefully you will receive a gift that you will want repeatedly upon first listen of this excellent CD. Resistor is an album that caught my ear right from the start and the music forced me to listen a few times before processing everything offered. The music is in the simplest form yet on an emotional level, it is very deep. When music gets your attention like that, it is something special. I hope that A.J. Rosales continues to explore different genres and spread his wings, I have no doubt he will be soaring high with the eagles if he follows his muse.
Tracklist
01. Prophecy (6:05)
02. Union (4:54)
03. Rare (4:41)
04. Right out of Line (5:19)
05. Interlude (1:49)
06. Resistor (3:46)
07. Disturbance Around Me (3:52)
08. Transistor (6:22)
09. Down to the Wire (5:09)
10. Machine No. 2 (4:09)
11. Wade (5:13)
© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck |
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