The Mercy Stone, Above the Towers Review
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The Mercy Stone is a pop ensemble that is built on tight grooves, catchy vocals, and imaginative soundscapes. The ensemble has influences from: Indie Rock, Neoclassical, Jazz, and Pop that combine to form a popular music that has profound musical depth as well as enough hooks and drive to keep the ears attention. The Mercy Stone was founded by composer/guitarist Scott Grady in 2016. After spending several years studying music composition in an academic setting, Grady sought to put his composition chops to work within a project that would have the substance and sophistication fitting for a contemporary-classical concert stage as well as the accessibility that would be palatable to rock audiences. Grady filled out the rest of the ensemble with: bassist/composer Shawn Graham, Emmanuel Ventura-Cruess on cello, drummer Joris Daniel Hoogsteder, Steven Ragsdale on saxophone, and woodwind performer, jazz saxophonist and music educator Nathan King. Their first album, Ghettoblaster (2017) was a tapestry of styles and sounds. Now the ensemble is releasing their second album, Above the Towers. The album contains ten tracks that bridged the musical divide between popular music and art music in a way that is musically stimulating and rhythmically diverse.
Positives:
With outstanding compositional skills, The Mercy Stone presents song forms that are a musical journey of feel, counterpoint and a variety of musical styles.
Bottom Line:
Above the Towers is a fine example of sophisticated compositions that is presented with a pop feel and melodic sense. “Wastin’ Time” has rich vocal harmonies, a catchy melody and a feel that has influences of world music. The female fronted “Can’t Think (Gave It Away, Pt. 1) has tasteful guitar fills, a haunting melody with beautiful harmonies and form that exploits the interesting vocal and instrumental capabilities of the ensemble. “Alright” has a funky pop vibe, with a catchy melody multiple layers of counterpoint building the foundation of the groove. Above the Towers delivers musical gems in the mesmerizing instrumental sections on “Warped” and “Broke Down,” beautifully funky vocal canons on “Back of the Bus” and the title track, “Above the Towers,” and intense epic sonic journeys on “Got to Be Free” and “Around the Stars.” This is an ensemble that is creating a sound that is building on the roots of excellent musicianship, well-crafted compositional skills and orchestration with the creative open mindedness to incorporate classic rock, pop, reggae, metal, funk, psychedelic/experimental rock, world music (West African drumming, Flamenco, Eastern European dance music) all package in a pop music wrapping. That’s the short of it!