I came across “What a great place to be” 3 months ago on the web. Do you know when something catch your attention and you think: this is special! The cover, the title(s), the theme… At the minute I saw it I knew I was going to love it. And that´s what happened!
It´s a really special album, full of organic and deep emotions. It fully transport me to a childhood that I never had… Very special feeling.
Easily one of the best albums of 2009 (the best?).
Sumner McKane Website
… and a review by Joseph Sannicandro:
“Sumner McKane’s much anticipated new album is a tribute to his home state of Maine, each song encapsulating a different aspect or historical or personal anecdote. The narrative quality of What A Great Place to Be is clear, but of course he achieves this in an ambiguous way, by means of song titles and styles of playing. It is also obvious that it was a labor of love, from the subject matter, from the care of production. McKane, in the time between records, has also become a father twice over, and I can only imagine that this impacted his work as a musician. (His daughters’ can be heard buried in some of the tracks, according to this cute story). In January of 2007, I reviewed Sumner’s last studio album, Two if By Sea. At the time I knew it to be a magnificent record, but in the time since then the album has only served to become more and more dear to me. McKane is without question amongst the most talented songwriters, producers, and guitar players making ambient instrumental music right now.”
(Read the rest of the review here)
