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Blood Runs Thicker Than Water on Sundad, a Glorious Family Collaboration

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It’s often said that musicians, particularly singers that come from the same family, create the kind of harmonies you could never attain with non-blood relatives. Well, the Sundad team of John Eurell and his son John Jr. prove that family members achieve the same “harmony” with guitars. With father John on acoustic and son John on acoustic, the two make uncannily beautiful music; melodic, wondrous and as tightly wound as the DNA helix the two share.

With their debut recording, Journey to Eternity, the father-son tandem, along with percussionist Chet Soares, proved they were up to the task of creating demanding, worthwhile, and immensely pleasurable instrumental music, as easy on the ears as it is melodically and rhythmically complex. Well, on their latest release, The Journey Continues, the journey does indeed continue, with majestic track after majestic track featuring magnificent guitar work, gratifying chemistry, superb percussion, and a great bottom with bass player Eddie Denise.

All tolled, The Journey Continues is ten gorgeous, father and son acoustic compositions, each more striking than the last. As the duo traverses from folky and jazzy instrumentals to rock, funk, and flamenco, they let the sparks fly, with virtuosic but crisp licks. “The Veil,” for example, recalls up-tempo Windham Hill, ala Michael Hedges, or rock revisionism of, say, progressive artists like Yes or Kansas. “Out of Body” takes it down a notch but hits impulsively with Soares’ keen percussion. “Chet’s Favorite” has a distinctive Latin flair suggesting Alex De Grassi, with a propulsive acoustic guitar rhythm as a bed. “Somewhat Celtic” is just that, with an unpredictable and tricky chord progression. “The Midnight Express” also moves briskly, and memorably, gaining steam as it bears down the track, with layers of shimmering guitar strings and percussion. Dave Kline’s violin adds a sweet element of surprise.

Sundad’s debut disc earned them significant acclaim when it came out back in 2005, including best New Artist and Best Acoustic Instrumental Album nominations from New Age Reporter. The Journey Continues promises even greater notice for the group. Already it has made it onto the preliminary Grammy ballot and it’s currently receiving airplay both here and on radio stations around the world that are undoubtedly responding to Sundad’s spicy international flavors. For its part, “The Veil,” Journey’s lead track, has also been garnering all kinds of acclaim from Garageband.com in the “World Fusion” category for its dazzling instrumental work.

Overall, Sundad’s work is intricate yet accessible, challenging yet superbly melodic. In other words, it’s a lot like the relationship between family members: complex and rewarding, with substance, passion, and feel good vibes to make it all worthwhile.

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