"Open up your Ears and Get Some: A glorious result it truly is..... This is the best Sound Liberation product so far."
"There is something for every kind of music enthusiast in this album. This is part of the Sound Liberation philosophy."
"Nerve Crashes is an amazing tour-de-force of harmonic and rhythmic writing. Harmonically it explores new places in progression. Pritsker gets away with this and still has, essentially, a pop song. Likewise, the rhythms are unusual"
- Joseph Pehrson - New Music Connoisseur, winter/spring 2008-09
"The freedom of sounds, as the name suggests, is truly implemented in a masterful way"
- Thorsten Bendnarz - Jazzethic Magazine, August '08
Gene Pritsker's aptly named Sound Liberation are afraid of nothing, mixing rhythm and genre to the point where the listener simply gives up on labels and enjoys the ride! The quintet of guitars, cello, bass and drums generate a truly unique sound with plenty of group and solo improvisation building on Pritsker's strong compositions - comparisons with Sonny Sharrock are apt, but don't tell the whole story - grab this indie gem now!
- RootdownFM.com, 2010
"Barring the obvious exceptions, much of 21st century composition appears to be thinning in significance, but this might be about to change. Gene Pritsker is one of a very spare handful of composers effecting this change, and evidence of this is found in the Varieties of Religious Experiences Suite, a towering instrumental extraction from his opera of the same name."
- Raul d'Gama Rose, All About Jazz
"You will enjoy and be inspired by the new recording by guitarist/composer Gene Pritsker"... "It is amazing how masterfully Pritsker explored the opportunities offered by James’ poetic vocabulary."... "Exceptionally curious and inclusive rather than aggressive or confrontational"..."The VRE Suite is full of tasteful improvisation, sturdy melodies and voice-leading, strong ‘grooves’. Mystical it may be, but VRE Suite is far from ‘enigmatic’. It positively asserts that your cosmic, mystical experience is as genuine as my mystical experience; or as genuine as that of any organized religion.
- Douglas McNair, Chamber Music Today
"Gene Pritsker's music is much more than the sum of the elements involved ... No matter what camp you may be a part of, this recording will stretch the boundaries of what you expect. Most importantly Pritsker does it all with an assurance and lucidity that make a case for why such hybrids can provide exciting, absorbing listening."
- Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Guitar & Bass Blog, Aug. 2010
"The future belongs to Sound Liberation . . . even if takes a while to gethere"- - Frank BenderRagazzi online magazine, March '09
“Sound Liberation create a recording as alive as creation itself... You can't help but be intrigued by such an ambitious and original cycle of songs... Sound Liberation always keeps things new and interesting.”
- Wildy’s World May. ‘09
“Never had I heard Pritsker try to put all these elements together in one composition. Here, in Money, he does, and it is the apotheosis of his form. This is the best Pritsker work I have ever heard. We can only hope that Gene Pritsker, in his perfection of this very personal and idiosyncratic form and the strength of his exceptional talent, can reach the very pinnacle of the compositional mound.”
- Joseph Pehrson, The Music Connoisseur, Fall 2006
"Gene’s rap songs are clever, complex, and very interesting musically, exactly what the market stuff is not.
- Barry L. Cohen - The Music Connoisseur
"The cover of this demo shows the two rappers behind bars, heads
hanging down. Lighten up guys, I say, since as I peruse the liner notes,
I see words like "cello" and "flute" next to people's names. What?!? A
rap disc with cello and flute?!? Yo G, straight up. Perhaps it's
surprising because I've never really heard rap over classically infused
music, and I have to admit, it's pretty interesting. Sound Liberation
have been at it a few years now, and if this disc is any indication,
they seem to be in peak form. The juxtaposition of rapping over
classical or jazz with hip-hop beats opens doors to improvisation;
further, the band isn't saddled with a DJ scratching noise to muddy up
the mix. The only confusing thing here is why some A&R person hasn't
picked up on them yet"
--Bill Ribas - NY Rock Street Beat
" Wow, indie rap. Two verbose MCs cram in as many syllables as they can
between every measure of music. The music on "Loan Shark" includes
acoustic guitar and synth strings repeating a minor key figure. "Which
of the Days" is a nice pimp-jam with sweet beats and, uh, flute and
bass. Not sure how convincing the "I-had-it-hard" lyrics are but the
rhymes are good and the music is well produced. "No Truth" adds
classical piano and strings to the funky mix. The lyrical flows are
modern and intriguing. "Money" is this crew's response to Wu-Tang's
"C.R.E.A.M." "What Shall I Do" flows over a, um, disco music bed. Disco
ballad. Cool. "Rap Sense" has the fattest beat and wonders, "Can a MC
get a lap dance?" Very cool."
--Ian C. Stewart - AutoReverse
"The lyrics where a nice change with the intelligence and the smoothness
of the flow from the rappers."
-- Michael Allison, THE GLOBAL MUSE.COM
"Strange crew from NYC, eight deep, rhyme and sing over traditional
classical music. Symphonic strings, medieval harpsichords and
straightforward beats behind thug flows, R&B crooning and even opera.
Think Dre's "Been There, Done That," but more extreme."
-- Listen.com
" I am definitely feeling the whole element here. I hope every listener
can grasp what these musician's are offering every listener."
-- Ultravibe.com
"Gene's rap songs are clever, complex, and very interesting musically,
exactly what the market stuff is not."
-- Barry L. Cohen, The Music Connoisseur
"This self-produced demo shows talent. The instruments are well done.
And for this being a self-produced CD I am impressed at how clear
everything is and how well the mix is. Overall, this is a pretty good
CD. I would like to see where this group ends up in a year."
--Jade Kamden, Nefarious Magazine |
