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Write-Up
Written
by: Tom Atkins
September 3, 2004
Songwriting
can be likened to the creation of a mosaic, or perhaps a stained
glass window. The skilled artisan, or composer, deftly lays
tile after tile, or note after note, with each successive
note complementing its predecessors perfectly. The end result
can be sheer radiance. Much like the intricate Great Rose
Window in New York's Cathedral of St. John The Divine, a skillfully
crafted song can live forever and delight generations. From
the sheer simplicity of Danny Boy, to the rich complexity
of Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, to the haunting imagery
of A Day In The Life, a great melody can easily, by sheer
virtue of itself, achieve immortality.
Sadly,
however, as the 21st century gains momentum, songwriting appears
to have become a lost art, from my vantage point. To my ears,
music has become more machine made than man-made. One need
only scan the FM dial to conclude that the single most important
element of music, the melody, has all but become extinguished
from contemporary songs, replaced instead by a cacophony of
computer generated grunts, squeals and whistles. What has
become of the great art of songwriting?
As
if in response, enter Ken Maffeo, a self-proclaimed "acoustic
poet with a six string voice". Buried within Beautiful
Mistakes, Ken's debut CD is the answer to that very question.
Ken Maffeo discovered Southern California's burgeoning FM
radio scene in the late Sixties and, from the tender age of
7 when he joined the school choir, has fostered a love affair
with the intricacies of music. His teenage years found him
obsessed with many then contemporary songwriters and songwriting
teams who have since gone on to become legends: Todd Rundgren,
James Taylor, Becker/Fagan, Lennon/McCartney, to name but
a few. Ken's teenage years saw him translate his love for
these artists into a desire to create music himself. Ken quickly
learned to play the guitar, piano and drums and has since
added many more instruments to that list. Fast forward to
the Nineties and the age of home recording. No longer did
Ken have to dream: the components were all there. For the
past half-decade, he has patiently honed his craft, recording
demo after demo, continually evolving as both composer and
lyricist. It's now the dawn of a new century and, like a bottle
of fine wine, the fruit of Ken's labor is ready to be opened
and shared. To that end, we are proud to "uncork"
Beautiful Mistakes, Ken's 11 song debut CD. The tracks speak
for themselves. If you've ever swooned to the lush harmonies
of the Beach Boys, the poignancy of Jackson Browne, or the
quirkiness of Todd Rundgren, look no further. I invite you
to enjoy the magic of Beautiful Mistakes. You'll be glad you
did.
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