Magna Carta 9070-2

What can be said about Steve Morse? He has won Guitar Magazine's Best
Overall Guitarist reader's poll five years in a row and over the course of his career he has played with Kansas, the Dixie
Dregs, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is currently with Deep Purple.

Major Impacts 2 showcases Morse's abilities extremely well. The CD
serves to show the styles of music and the bands that have inspired him.
Upon listening to the CD, the listener will see that it is a tribute
to different styles of music, a "thank you" at the least. The bands that have inspired Morse showcased on the CD include The Who, The
Yardbirds, Genesis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ELP, Aerosmith, Spirit, Deep Purple, ZZ
Top, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Specific people who have inspired
Morse include Ted Nugent, and the classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
Morse also showcases the styles of Celtic ballads, cajun, country, and
bluegrass. I, a jamband enthusiast, gave the CD a listen just to hear the
different styles of music coming together. I came out a fan of the work
Morse has done. He truly makes the guitar an appendage that he has complete
and utter control over. There are numerous highlights on Major Impacts
2 that require mentioning.

The first track is entitled "Wooden Music." At first listen, you can tell
that CSN&Y directly inspired it. You can hear bits of "Helplessly Hoping"
being played by Morse, but it isn't visible enough to be a cover. Suddenly
from the slow pace envisioned by "Helplessly Hoping," the track turns
reminiscent of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.". He then blends the two together to
form "Wooden Music" in which "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is the verse and
"Helplessly Hoping" is the chorus. The guitar work is amazing and Morse has quite an
ability to make beautiful music.

"Air on a 6 String" is Bach-inspired. Upon listening to this selection, I
envisioned that this is what Bach would sound like if he were playing a
guitar instead of a piano. The progression Morse makes from one note to the
next or chord to the next is done at a feverish pace. He never skips a beat.
This is truly the most beautiful track on the CD. It would be great to
listen to while sitting on the top of the Appalachian Mountains watching the
sun set into the bleak night. There is no doubt that, after this track,
Morse's accomplishments as a guitar player are clear.

Morse's influences are manifold and this CD shows that he is deeply happy with the
many varieties of music and bands out there today. So if you are like me,
an avid jamband enthusiast, you will greatly appreciate the blending of
styles of music and the guitar work performed by Morse on Major Impacts
2.