Prime Cuts
A southpaw from the south, he emerged with a masterful band called The Dixie Dregs. In no time, word of Steve Morse’s unique guitar style traveled this country and beyond. It was a style borne out of an unflinching commitment to excellence. His execution, awe-inspiring as much in his choice of notes as in the cleanliness of his delivery, became a benchmark for aspiring guitarists to heed.Long before Steve Morse began his relationship with Magna Carta Records, those aspiring guitarists, perhaps awestruck by Morse’s harmonic sense, tone, and articulation, were voting him tops in such publications as Guitar Player. Such unanimous endorsements point to Morse’s uncanny (and rare) ability to play the complex lines guitarists like to hear and make music. Indeed, music is what you hear when you sample the various tracks on this compendium of seminal Steve Morse songs. In Magna Carta Records, Morse found the forum in which to display his dazzling diversity while contributing solid compositions. In fact, each of the Steve Morse songs found herein, while replete with guitar virtuosity, feature melodic lines that you will hum long after the CD stops spinning. And to hear those figures played so supremely clean is to dig at the root of Steve Morse’s artistry.A fanatical practicer, Steve has admitted to risking life and limb on the freeway in the name of his instrument. Rather than waste time when heading his car to the airport, for example, he’d strap on the guitar (and, hopefully, his seatbelt) and pick away, manipulating the steering wheel with his knees. We can only hope that when he secured his pilot’s license he refrained from such multi-tasking!At the time of this writing, Steve Morse was touring with Deep Purple, arguably dealing in a heavier sound as befits the music. A man possessed of clarity of vision and, seemingly, fitness of body, Steve Morse has fashioned himself for the span of decades, not the flavors of months.