music-media

 " (The Same Light)... poignant lyrical imagery, balanced by moody
instrumental beauty.

   Roger Levesque, The Edmonton Journal

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" A great voice plus excellent writing and production - be sure to give this one a listen... "
    Rod McCrimmon ,  Monday Magazine

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" The Same Light is absolutely solid and steeped in old traditions intelligently wrought to come up through to come up through the years without losing a thing .... "
   Mark S. Tucker - The Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange

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"Lester Quitzau's music has the rustic appeal of artists such as Van Morrison and Robbie Robertson, and I find myself appreciating The Same Light even more with repeated listens."
   Chip Withrow - Muses Muse

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"Best known to me as one third of Tri-Continental(with Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim). Lester Quitzau's fifth solo album, The Same Light, really opened my ears. Starting off with a simple Dobro-spiced blues track, "In Your Arms Again,"we move to a soul tune, "The Only Cure," penned by Quitzau's wife, Mae Moore. This one channels Van Morrison with brass, or even Al Green - really funky, and featuring the Victoria Brass as backup. Then we get some more great rootsy blues, including 2 instrumentals, and another R&B/Soul track "Let It Shine." This one has some nice thick Hammond organ, provided by Joby Baker (who also produced the CD).
The final selection is a Pete Seeger tune,"To MY Old Brown Earth," one of only 2 tracks not written or co-written by Quitzau. The instrumentation on the album is eclectic, featuring Quitzau on vocals, Dobro, acoustic and electric guitars, and very effective steel pan drum, plus Baker on percussion, electric bass and keyboards and Rick May on acoustic bass. A great voice plus excellent writing and production - be sure to give this one a listen and don't miss the 'secret' final track, a favourite of mine."

 - Rod McCrimmon ,  Monday Magazine

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By Chip Withrow - 03/11/2009

Artist: Lester Quitzau
Album: The Same Light
Genre: Americana, Folk, Acoustic
Sounds Like: Robbie Robertson/The Band, Van Morrison
Production/Musicianship Grade: 9/10
Overall Talent Level: 9/10
Songwriting Skills: 8/10
Performance Skill: 9/10
Best Songs: The Only Cure, Let It Shine, Shape Shifter
CD Review: I have been listening to Lester Quitzau¹s fine new album The Same Light for a few weeks now. I have enjoyed it greatly, but until now it has been hard for me to put into words why I like it.


Well, it has finally become clear why I dig Quitzau's music so much. One of my favorite tracks, "The Only Cure," is a one-song showcase for what makes Quitzau so compelling: it is a hippie/soul anthem, fusing bluesy Americana with horns and building to a grand show finale-worthy instrumental conclusion.

"In Your Arms" opens the set with a laid-back yet deep groove. Quitzau himself layers electric guitar and dobro licks atop acoustic strumming. His vocal is unassuming yet heartfelt here and throughout the disc.

"These Blues" and "Find My Way Home" sound like three friends having a comfortable musical conversation. Quitzau's playing toes the line between jazz and blues, and Rick May¹s acoustic bass is slippery. Multi-instrumentalist Joby Baker (bass and keyboards on other tracks, co-producer along with Quitzau) provides the drum backbone.

The lush, pretty soul ballad "Let It Shine" is another favorite. It is uplifiting, lifted even higher by Mae Moore's backing vocal and washes of Baker's Hammond organ. It is followed by the slinky, funky "Shape Shifter," the best of three instrumentals, with Quitzau firing off wicked electric and slide riffs.

Quitzau wrote or co-wrote all songs with the exception of "The Only Cure" and the closer, Pete Seeger's "To My Old Brown Earth." It is a lovely conclusion, built upon Baker's lower-register piano chords. Quitzau adds a meditative vocal and sympathetic slide guitar.
Lester Quitzau's music has the rustic appeal of artists such as Van Morrison and Robbie Robertson, and I find myself appreciating The Same Light even more with repeated listens.

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"Listening to Edmonton expat Lester Quitzau’s latest, you get the sense that there’s nowhere the Juno Award winning roots artist would rather be than at his West Coast home, tending his little corner of earth and making music. Quitzau weaves the two together, offering them up as a panacea for the ills of the world and the loneliness of the road. Two gentle instrumentals, “These Blues” and “Ferris Wheel,” highlight Quitzau’s considerable skill on the acoustic guitar, while “Shape Shifter” plugs in and gives a taste of Quitzau’s blusier origins. Quitzau’s wife Mae Moore (with whom he collaborated on 2004’s Oh My!) is also present, offering her songwriting abilities on “The Only Cure” and lending her beautiful voice to backing vocals on “Let It Shine.” The album wraps with a cover of Pete Seeger’s “To My Old Brown Earth,” bringing it all back to the importance of having a little piece of ground. V "

Scott Harris www.vueweekly.com

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* More posted  reviews of Lester Quitzau - The Same Light at (click to view)

http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p05399.htm

http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-lesterquitzau-thesamelight.html

http://www.torontobluessociety.com/0903johnspicks.htm