THE ESSENTIAL YO MA MA
MS Music MUS-107-1 release date: January 1,2021
In a year when music as a balm to our weary senses has been harder and harder to make, the singing/songwriting team of Stephen Kalinich and Jon Tiven have found a way. THE ESSENTIAL YO MA MA culls ten tracks from their previously released 3-cds onto one disc, with two brand new songs that show this team at their very best.
The two new tracks, which will probably attract the most attention, are the epic “Life Is Just A Kiss,” a five minutes plus opus that details the twists and turns of existence in a way that only poet Stevie Kalinich could imagine. “I’ve always enjoyed making extended pieces,” says Stevie, “but now that everyone is stuck in their homes the whole concept of time gets thrown out the window. My original intent was that it be a 20 minute piece that would take up one side of a vinyl lp, but in the end I whittled it down to its most essential elements.” Sung by the two of them to a sparse background provided by Tiven, wife Sally, and drummer Cody Dickinson, it combines the blithe with the heavy without being preachy or self-important.
The second new track is a lyric written by Stephen and his longtime partner the late Dennis Wilson, a song which they never completed musically during Dennis’ short lifetime. Tiven completed the music end, but when it came time to sing it, he asked his next-door neighbor Harry Stinson (Nashville Music Legend and drummer/vocalist in Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives) if he wouldn’t mind. Harry knew Dennis a bit from touring in support of the Beach Boys, and his love for their/his music was boundless, so he was thrilled to accept the challenge. Not only did Stinson sing lead, he assembled a chorus of his own voices as a musical pillow a la the Wilsons, and the result is stunning.
YO MA MA’s collaborations with guitar legends Steve Cropper and Brian May are both included here, as well as their singles/videos “When I Leave My Body”
and “Harmony Inner Peace & Tenderness.”
Review
If you are not familiar with their work, this single cd is the perfect place to start.
1.LIFE IS JUST A KISS
2.MABEL featuring Harry Stinson
3.RUDE AWAKENINGS featuring Brian May
4.OUT OF THE DARKNESS featuring Brian May
5.EXPLOSIONS OF LOVE featuring Steve Cropper
6.TIME BOMB featuring Steve Cropper
7.WHEN I LEAVE MY BODY
8.HARMONY INNER PEACE & TENDERNESS
9.I BELIEVE IN ELEPHANTS
10.HARD TO BE A MILLIONAIRE
11.YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT
12.IT TAKES TIME