2020 · Album
Is That So?
Recorded 2020 · Abstract Logix · Produced by John McLaughlin
Is That So? A Quiet Turn
Is That So? finds McLaughlin in a conversational, acoustic mood, trading fusion firepower for intimacy.
Put the needle down and the first thing you notice is how unhurried it sounds. John McLaughlin's guitar moves through these pieces with a warm, close-miked intimacy, the phrases lightly picked and given room to breathe. Tempos sit mostly in the middle range, and the mood is reflective rather than combustible. This is not the amplified storm of Birds of Fire (1973). It is a more personal conversation, with the guitar speaking directly to the listener.
The pairing with Zakir Hussain gives the record its most striking color. Hussain's tabla does not drive the music so much as shade it, adding rhythmic patterns that rise and fall beneath McLaughlin's lines. The interplay is attentive and sometimes playful, with each player leaving space for the other. Listeners who know McLaughlin mainly from his electric work may find this softer approach a revelation, or simply a different proposition altogether.
As a placement within McLaughlin's catalog, this is a late, reflective entry rather than an essential starting point. If you want the defining McLaughlin statement, look elsewhere first. But for committed fans, and for anyone curious about how he sounds when he dials the volume down, it rewards patient listening.
Who's playing
John McLaughlinguitar
Zakir Hussaintabla
Where next?
More by John McLaughlin
All 33 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
