The AllMusic review past times Richard S. Ginell awards the album four stars in addition to states: "Metheny's softly focused, asymmetrical guitar style, amongst echoes of apparent influences equally disparate equally Jim Hall, George Benson, Jerry Garcia, in addition to diverse terra firma guitarists, is quite distinctive fifty-fifty at this early on juncture. Metheny's long-running partnership amongst keyboardist Lyle Mays too begins here, amongst Mays mostly on acoustic pianoforte simply too providing a few mild synthesizer washes."
“Pat Metheny was virtually defining a novel musical cast on this 1977 date, blending folk, country, in addition to popular elements amongst jazz in addition to creating a gentler, to a greater extent than intimate idiom than fusion had been. His distinctively chorused electrical guitar oft floats over the polish textures created past times his ain acoustic six-stringer, Lyle Mays’ piano, in addition to Danny Gottlieb’s discreet drumming, patch Eberhard Weber’s electrical in addition to acoustic bass lines rising to ricochet amongst the guitar leads. The vocal titles abound amongst watery images, in addition to they’re perfectly inwards keeping amongst this flowing music, which tends to a pale, fifty-fifty pastel, palette in addition to an ethereal lightness. “River Quay,” particularly, suggests the audio of the Pat Metheny Group that would come upwardly later.”
From the opening strains of Pat Metheny’s 2nd album, nosotros directly know that nosotros accept a calming yet powerful journeying ahead of us. The nowadays company—among which keyboardist Lyle Mays, a Pet Metheny Group fixture, makes his starting fourth dimension appearance—renders his feature combination of cast in addition to mode into an instinctive launder of comfort. Mays’s pianism proves the perfect complement to the guitarist’s untainted sound. Just heed to the means he buoys the music inwards the opening championship track, in addition to his fluent solo inwards “River Quay,” in addition to y'all volition hardly last able to imagine the music without him. We larn a lingering hold off at Metheny’s ain abilities inwards “Icefire,” inwards which he solos on a cleverly tuned 12-string that lobs betwixt solid chords in addition to higher callings. Midway through, the music melts into its 2nd titular half, flowering inwards a cluster of Ralph Towner-esque harmonics. “Oasis” introduces the harp guitar, a sympathetically strung musical instrument that shines inwards Metheny’s hands similar the charango inwards Gustavo Santaolalla’s. H5N1 mournful electrical sings at its center, always shielded past times an unrequited encompass of acoustics. Varied rhythms in addition to bold chord changes animate its otherwise stagnant beauty. After these serenity submersions, nosotros come upwardly up into air, in addition to into light, amongst the beautiful “Lakes,” which positively glows amongst serenity ecstasies. Again, Mays broadens the edges to novel waterlines, cresting similar a moving ridge that never crashes upon its thematic shores. H5N1 two-part suite proves a complex telephone telephone in addition to reply amongst the self earlier the 10-minute “Sea Song” reprises the harp guitar for its swan song. The music hither is beyond aquatic, in addition to could easily accept seeded a Ketil Bjørnstad project. Eberhard Weber’s polish bass introduces the morning’s regular activities amongst the starting fourth dimension rays of sunrise inwards countless awakening eyes, earlier rolling out 1 time again, drawn dorsum into the depths similar the tide that gives them life.
Metheny’s precision dives in addition to soars, a well-nigh selfless bird, his fingers running together similar the colors of the album’s title. His supporting crew is inwards tune at every minute (and 1 mustn’t neglect to praise Dan Gottlieb’s drumming inwards this regard), protecting every tune amongst passionate detail. This is perfect music for travel, for the music travels itself. It’s a bird ride to a higher house a shimmering landscape, a hang-glide over opened upwardly valleys, a dive into crystal waters—and yet, our feet never larn out the ground. One powerfulness telephone telephone it otherworldly, were it non thus firmly rooted inwards the earth inwards all its glory. Pure magic from start to finish.
Pat Metheny emerges on his 2nd album, Watercolors, equally an ECM impressionist, to a greater extent than oft than non conforming to the label's overall audio patch nevertheless asserting his ain personality. As the championship suggests, in that place are several mood pieces hither that are suspended inwards the air without rhythmic underpinning, a harbinger for the novel historic catamenia invasion nevertheless inwards the future. Metheny's softly focused, asymmetrical guitar style, amongst echoes of apparent influences equally disparate equally Jim Hall, George Benson, in addition to diverse terra firma guitarists, is quite distinctive fifty-fifty at this early on juncture. Metheny's long-running partnership amongst keyboardist Lyle Mays too begins here, amongst Mays mostly on acoustic pianoforte simply too providing a few mild synthesizer washes. Danny Gottlieb is on drums, in addition to ECM regular Eberhard Weber handles the bass. This is essentially the starting fourth dimension album past times the Pat Metheny Group per se, although the band had yet to notice its direction inwards this somewhat diffuse showing.
Track listing:
1 Watercolors 6:28
2 Icefire 6:07
3 Oasis 4:02
4 Lakes 4:43
5 River Quay 4:56
6 Suite- I. Florida Greeting Song 2:30
7 Suite- II. Legend Of The Fountain 2:28
8 Sea Song 10:16
Personnel:
Pat Metheny – 6-and 12-string electrical guitar, fifteen string harp guitar
Lyle Mays – piano
Eberhard Weber – double bass
Danny Gottlieb – drums
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