MARS SLING SHOT is the bewildering title of this CD by the band of the same name. This quartet is led by Don Cash who wears the hats of singer/songwriter, guitarist, and occasionally, organist. This ensemble also includes band members, Art Falconi on drums, Peter James on keyboards and bassist Frankie John Monte. Together, they straddle a full range of Blues/Folk styles into a sound that is as pleasing as a Sunday drive.

As the classification of this work as "Blues" would predicate, the music is typically moody. Yet MARS SLING SHOT merely flirts with the melancholy instead of unilaterally encompassing this ideology to a fault. Each track takes you on a journey of unrequited love and missed opportunities that beg for your understanding. These are not tawdry pubescent love songs but rather a thoroughly introspective and soulful look into one’s own personal redemption.

You can hear the pining for a love now in turmoil on track two’s, "Just a friend". "Place of woe", uses a more upbeat tempo to convey this same feeling. But nowhere is this style more dramatically executed than in "Been down this road before". Don’t get me wrong; this theme is where the similarities end. Each song is bound to its own personality like siblings within a family.

The disk winds down with "When my ship comes in", a hopeful and wise recounting of the possibilities that lie ahead. Lastly, "Lady from lyme" recoils to a Jimmy Buffet style folk. The story telling is still heartfelt though the music is less benign.

The greatest gift any musician or songwriter can give is to link their music with memories. This strikes a universal chord while allowing each person to place a value to the music that can withstand the test of time. Maybe, MARS SLING SHOT isn’t such a bewildering name after all.

–L.J.

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