Rock and...

Try - Just A Try (1998)

This album was meant to be -- and remained -- a one-shot studio project, "just a try" between instrumental folk guitarist Amadeus Reineck, and keyboardist Michael Lapp. Each one has provided a handful of tunes, with the opening and closing selections being joint efforts. Reineck's music is a dreamy folk strongly reminiscent of Anthony Phillips and Gordon Giltrap. In some of his tracks, Lapp joins him on guitar or mandolin, on others he adds keyboard layers, which gives the music a Gandalf feel. Lapp's own tunes fall into the German tradition of '70s electronic music with more of a new age feel (as in "Monte Christo," more than a bit trite). For "Wreck on the Wire," the duo brought in bassist Dieter Bauer and singer Caroline McCombs. By far the most satisfying piece of this set, it actually develops a strong theme and it is obvious that Lapp and Reineck took more time to write the arrangements. The "Introduction," and the soft and cute "Roswithas' Baby," are also highlights. It is worth noting that these three pieces are all found in the album's first half. The second half consists of a suite of much less developed pieces. Short, they present simple acoustic guitar or keyboard themes that have been left somewhat raw (and are consistently sickening-sweet). For example, the cheerful "Move" could have been much better if it had a proper melody instead of the doodling synth line Lapp came up with. Reissued in 1998 by Garden of Delights, this album is better kept for the collector.