I am
listening to this CD on a cold and rainy November afternoon while I am
waiting for my son to get out of school. “Fine Wine” is an
acoustic album recorded
in 1998. All of the songs except “Whiskey and Water” are written
and produced by Mark Zeus. Other than that, I don’t know very much
about Mr. Zeus.
Track 1: "Fine Wine" – This a beautiful song. It starts out with
some beautiful acoustic guitar playing and Mark’s voice brings to mind
James Taylor. I am not a wine drinker, but I know what Mark means
when he sings...
“ cause fine wine is blended & aged over time
so all contrasting flavors, the strong and sublime
will strike the gentle palate and warm a lovers heart”
Track 2: "The Devil Is Dancin" – This one starts out with a catchy
rhythm guitar and an eerie and mysterious sounding flute. I know
most people are saying “ Ahh, a flute”, but it works on this song.
It adds to the “Eve and the Forbidden Fruit” nature of the song.
Track 3: "Merry-Go-Round" – This song depicts life as a
“Merry-Go-Round”, with its share of ups and downs.
Track 4: "Cruisin" – An instrumental. This is Marks first
recorded instrumental and he says its “theme always gives him a feeling
of freedom and movement”. I agree, there is something refreshing
and invigorating about this song. Musically, it captures the
dawning of a new day and the joy of being given a second chance.
Track 5: "Caty’s Reward" – This one has a very Irish sound to me, though
it’s not a Celtic song. The deep echo of Mark’s voice combined
with the subtle and powerful strumming of his guitar, brings this tale
to life. It seems to say that life has many paths and we all take
different ones. Though we may separate and travel far away, we are
never forgotten. We remain within the minds, hearts and souls of
our loved ones.
Track 6: "Whiskey & Water" – This song was written by the late Mike
Jordan. It starts off with a lonesome, wailing harmonica.
This song is truly an OKOM (our kind of music) song and Mark really belts out the lyrics.
It talks about what a good “hole in the wall” joint should have, your
favorite barstool, drink, and song on the jukebox. It even
describes the symbolic marking of territory at the bar:
“Yes, that’s my change and my cigarettes...”
Track 7: "End Of The Game" – This has a cowboy movie, western kind of
feel. It
tells how life is like a game. It’s a damn hard one when the cards are
stacked against you, and you’re the only one playing by the rules.
Track 8: "Meet Me In The Back" – The chorus to this one is like a good
old- fashioned gospel song with it’s catchy chorus and tambourine, but
this is not a gospel song. This song is a humorous song about the
backseat of an El Dorado Cadillac. It has an assorted cast of
characters shouting various things and playing various instruments (a
washboard being one) during the song.
Track 9: "Tica" – Another instrumental. Mark says he wrote
this while visiting a friend. The friend’s dog, Tica, seemed to
like it and there you have the title.
Track 10: "A Mouse That Never Roared" – A not too dark and introspective
look at the hypocrisy of the world we live in. Killing for God,
complaining about pollution as we go guzzlin’ down the highway, you get
the picture.
Track 11: "Labor Love" – It’s a dog eat dog world. This song
chronicles the strikes and lockouts in Decatur, Illinois and how it
affected basically everyone. It is an angry anthem, with some
powerful acoustic strumming from Mark.
Tracks 1, 4, 6, 8, and 11 were my favorites. I must say this disc
caught me off guard. When I first get a CD, I usually give each
track a brief 10-second listen, to get a feel for the album. My
first impression of “Fine Wine” was that it is a folk album.
Don’t get me wrong, I like folk music and respect its contribution to
OKOM, it’s just that folk music doesn’t get my heart racing like some
other music forms do. I would still call this album folk, but to leave
it at that would be doing Mark Zeus an injustice. Mr. Zeus is a
fine musician and a very talented songwriter. He is a craftsman in
the way that he marries his music and words together. He is a
serious songwriter, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously as he
demonstrates in “Meet Me In The Back”.
Mr. Zeus picked “Fine Wine” as the title of his CD, and it sums
it up pretty good, but the best way I can describe it is to say that
this CD is like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup on a cold and
rainy November day.
Sully
Written by Jeff Sullivan, November, 2002
Visit Mark Zeus' web site
Mark's CD's also
available for purchase through
LoneStarMusic and
MyTexasMusic
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