In fairness, I should make this disclosure at the start of this
\nreview: I happen to know Dave Uhrich. While it has been several
\nyears since he and I have spoken, I still consider him a teacher
\nand a friend. It was he who taught me to play guitar when he was a
\nlocal celebrity teaching at Minstrel Music in Niles. I remember
\nsitting in the cramped lesson room, my jaw literally scraping the
\nfloor as he showed me techniques on the guitar I could only dream
\nof performing. I remember having the same feeling when he gave me a
\ncopy of his demo tape – which I still keep as a prized
\npossession.<\/p>\n
I boldly predicted that Uhrich would become the next Joe
\nSatriani if he was given the right breaks. And, for a while, it
\nseemed like things would go his way, as he landed a record deal and
\nreleased two CDs. Unfortunately, fate has a nasty way of playing
\ntricks; the records were never adequately publicized, and the label
\nfolded after a few years. I also never quite warmed up to those
\ndiscs, for some reason. It always seemed like Dave was holding back
\nhis full potential. (Some of the songs from his demo were
\nre-recorded for these albums – and I’m sorry, but I was always
\nbiased towards the demo.)<\/p>\n
Now, some five years after his last effort
\nFret-No-Tized<\/i> hit the bins, Uhrich has returned with a new
\nlabel, a new band (including drummer extraordinaire Kenny Aronoff)
\nand a new disc,
\nChange<\/i>. This disc provides an insight into the trials and
\ntribulations that Uhrich appears to have gone through in his life
\nrecently – proving that sometimes, out of the greatest pain comes
\nthe most beautiful work.<\/p>\n
The first time I picked this disc up (believe it or not, I
\nactually bought this one, as I have all of his commercially
\navailable discs), I got worried when I saw that Uhrich was now
\nsinging. Uh, oh… last time a guitar god tried that, it was Joe
\nSatriani on
\nFlying In A Blue Dream<\/i>, a release which left me a bit cold.
\n(It wasn’t until recently seeing Satch in concert that I was
\nconvinced he could pull off vocals well.) However, my fears were
\nquickly put to rest on the very first track (and one hell of a
\ncandidate for a single), “Some Things I Can’t Change”. In fact,
\nUhrich’s vocals are incredibly strong – something which pleasantly
\nsurprised me.<\/p>\n
Now, I do not claim to have any insight into what’s happened in
\nUhrich’s life, and I apologize in advance if I’m wrong. Like I
\nsaid, I don’t believe I’ve spoken to him in four years, and the
\nlast time was just to say “hey”. (To be honest, I don’t know if
\nDave would remember who I was, though if he did, I would be
\nincredibly flattered.) But the lyrics in many of these songs
\nsuggest that Uhrich has been through a nasty divorce, and his way
\nof healing the wounds that such a split can leave was by venting
\nhis sadness, anger, frustration and confusion through his
\nmusic.<\/p>\n
In that regard,
\nChange<\/i> is a very difficult album to get through. This is an
\nalbum that exposes many raw nerves, and Uhrich isn’t afraid to let
\npeople know how he feels. Again, from “Some Things I Can’t Change”:
\n“Read this like it once was \/ Believe this I’ll learn to love again
\n\/ Hold me until you fall \/ You told me your promise then took it
\nall away”. Ka-pow. Yet there remains a flicker of hope amidst the
\npain; tracks like “I Feel Alive,” “Something 2 Believe” and “All
\nThat Remains” all suggest that Uhrich could see rays of light
\nbursting between the storm clouds. There’s a message in there for
\nall of us, I think.<\/p>\n
On his previous albums, Uhrich tried to play the role of guitar
\nubermensch<\/i>; this time, it’s almost as if Uhrich decides to
\nplay the role of Eric Clapton and allow the song to be the vehicle,
\nnot the guitar solo. It’s a dangerous move, but it works well.
\nTracks like “Why Do You Cry,” “Looking Glass” and “Crazy In Love”
\nall prove that the move is worth it. (To be fair, I was prepared to
\nrip “Crazy In Love”, ready to accuse it of being the “thumb your
\nnose” song against the ex-wife with the ending verse about being
\nloved by thousands of women. However, once I heard Uhrich’s
\ntongue-in-cheek, jazz meets David Lee Roth style, I understood
\neverything.)<\/p>\n
Of course, Uhrich spends some time flexing his guitar muscle on
\na few instrumentals, but he’s also more than willing to give his
\nbandmates – Aronoff and bassist Wally Hustin – room to show their
\nstuff on the track “Air Guitar”. “Alone” reminds me of the two
\nprevious instrumental albums that Uhrich has done, while “Guitar
\nFood” acts as a prelude of things to come. “Freedom Rain” is a
\nbeautiful acoustic piece, and hearing it makes me wonder if Uhrich
\nwould ever consider doing just an album of acoustic guitar
\nwork.<\/p>\n
The masterpiece on this album is “Bliss,” an instrumental that
\nis performed solely by Uhrich. Using one guitar, effects pedals and
\nno overdubs, he creates a song with Gothic overtones that reminds
\nme of the works of Mike Oldfield and Vangelis. I’ve seen this track
\nperformed live courtesy of a local-access cable show, and watching
\nUhrich play this song demonstrates just why this guy’s name should
\nbe uttered in the same breath as Satriani, Steve Vai or Eric
\nJohnson. Every time I hear this song – and I think I’ve now
\nlistened to it some 25 times – I hear something new. If you’re not
\nmoved by this piece of music, you have no blood left in your body.
\nIf the mood is right, I can be moved to tears by this piece.<\/p>\n
It may seem hard for some to believe I can be objective about
\nChange<\/i>, knowing that I have a history with Uhrich… but I
\ncan honestly say, with all sincerity, that this is the best work
\nthat Uhrich has ever done. If this disc does not make Uhrich a
\nstar, I will seriously question whether there is a God out there.
\nIf this disc does make Uhrich a star like I hope it will, I’ll know
\nthat he’s long overdue.<\/p>\n
Change is good, Dave… and
\nChange<\/i> is easily the best disc I’ve listened to in the
\nlongest time.<\/p>\n