California Music Presents Add Some Music
With some original members of The Beach Boys & their offspring I believed this would be hokum, an effort to cash in on The Beach Boys legacy. But I read about the intent & who participated & how this actually was a brief generous undertaking.
Along with Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston & original member David Marks (guitars) with Brian Wilson’s daughters Carnie & Wendy Wilson, Christian, Hayleigh & Ambha Love, Matt Jardine & Justyn Wilson with longtime associate Jeffrey Foskett (guitars) this is genuinely inspired. Yes, it has a nostalgia kick to it, but the offspring voices recreating that Beach Boy vocal sound with some of the Dads — is magic.
Also involved are arranger/producer multi-instrumentalist Rob Bonfiglio (Brian Wilson Band & husband to Carnie). The 8-cut (10 if you count an acapella & instrumental version of “Add Some Music”) is from the newly released California Music Presents Add Some Music – (Omnivore Recordings/Drops April 23) on CD & Digital.
A new rendering of the classic “Add Some Music To Your Day,” is a stunner as Al Jardine joins Mike Love & Bruce Johnston for a full bloom radioactive Beach Boys vocal. Guitars by Marks, Bonfiglio & Foskett with offspring vocals & Kristin Weber (violin) & Austin Hoke (cello). Quite beautiful.
Al Jardine’s pristine vocals decorate “Jenny Clover,” with harmony vocal by Larry Dvoskin (who produced). “She Believes In Love Again,” is Bruce Johnston’s solo turn which he produced, arranged & played all instruments.
A surprise track is the somewhat eclectic version of the Carl Wilson/Jack Rieley “Long Promised Road.” Produced, performed & sung by David Marks. It’s like a lost Beach Boy song.
“Friends,” is sung by the children. Scary good. No Beach Boys. Their inherited young voices & tone are like their parents so many years ago. This brought a smile to my face. Exceptional, especially if you remember the first time you heard The Beach Boys as I do.
“Golden State,” is pleasant, but the old classic Youngbloods song “Get Together” written by Chet Powers is the lone misstep. It sounds out of place.
Mike Love’s solo “Ram Raj,” is a band effort & typical of Love’s state of mind (he was with The Beatles in Rishikesh, Northern India in Feb. 1968 to take part in a Transcendental Meditation course with the Maharishi. In keeping with that tradition Love performs a piece that too many of today’s ears may sound dated but for purists, it will be nostalgia. It possesses the charm of the classic “Scatterlings of Africa,” from the late Johnny Clegg band Juluka. Love & the musicians do perform admirably. Mike was always a good Beach Boys vocalist & he doesn’t disappoint. But it’s far from Beach Boy nostalgia.
A labor of love, each song has its own producer. The collection was produced by David Beard & Brad Rosenberger & CD proceeds donated to feedingamerica.org.
The CD is available @ https://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/california-music-california-music-presents-add-some-music/
Interesting review, I hadn’t heard of this. It does sound funny to think of the BB kids as “young.” How our standards have changed! A new documentary about Brian is coming out called Long Promised Road, which like Marks version here, seems odd. That song is the pinnacle of Carl’s song-writing career. It feels expropriated in a way. But then, anything that gets people to hear it again is nice. I know that there have been Dennis Wilson compilations. But I’ve never seen one for Carl. He had a way of contributing a collection to each album in the 70s/early 80s that would have a sort of unifying theme, but yet be different than anything he’d done before. Feel Flows and Long Promised Road kind of started that. Carl’s true solo work doesn’t really measure up to what Dennis did. But Carl’s contributions to the Beach Boys give Dennis a run for his money in that category.