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Georg Cocron: Eight Driver (CD, 33:07) G. Cocran Music GCD 100
Georg Cocron Music
1111 Cardenas Dr., SE, #107
Albuquerque, NM 87108
CYBERHOME: http://www.cocronmusic.com

George Cocron can really wail on that "GEEETAR," and he makes that
incredibly clear on his latest release, a solid but sometimes unfocused
release titled Eight Driver. The styles on the CD range from
straight-ahead roadhouse rock and roll to a couple of attempts as smooth
jazz - Cocran is obviously making a sincere effort to stretch out his
musical horizons. While this is an admirable aim, Cocron seems to have the
tendency to lose some focus and effectiveness when stepping outside his rock
and roll roots. However, his incredible guitar playing make up for the few
ill-advised jazz tracks found on Eight Driver.

To classify Cocron's guitar playing as anything other than "top notch" is
downright unfair - this guy really knows his way around the fretboard and
has got the chops to prove it. This prowess is especially apparent on the ZZ
Top inspired "Eight Driver," where he displays his blues talents and "Gypsy
Soul," where midway through Cocron launches into a totally insane bit of
shredding that left me wondering why I hadn't heard of this guy before. The
other rockers on the CD contain more of Georg's premier guitar work, and
with the exception of a plodding cut titled "Deadlock," the compositional
work is very good as well. However, Cocron runs into a bit of trouble when
he crosses the line from hard rock to smooth jazz. A couple of jazzy cuts -
"Rainbow" and "Time Out" - don't work at all, and feel very out of place
sandwiched between the more metal-influenced material. And the synthesizer
heavy piece, "Anomaly," had me shaking my head wondering why it made the
album at all - it has nearly nothing in common with the other tracks on the
album, and doesn't work very well at all.

That's not to say that Cocron isn't capable of producing interesting
material that is outside the hard rock arena. Georg peforms a very nice
acoustic interpretation of Handel's "Sarabande in D Minor," and he actually
succeeds at pulling off the smooth jazz bit with the album's closer "Looking
Back," which features some beautiful piano by Glynn David and more of Cocron's
excellent guitar work. These tracks show that Cocron is capable of
branching out into other genres, but the release as a whole seems to
indicate that he can't do this in a consistent manner quite yet. That having
been said, I certainly applaud Cocron's efforts at creating an eclectic
selection of tunes on Eight Driver, and look forward to future
releases from this excellent guitarist.

- Michael Askounes (michael@gscyclone.com)

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