Harlequin Goodnight                                                                    ***1/2

Just For Fun, Songs For Little Ones                                           ***

Accurate melancholic.

Forest Sun’s seventh (!) CD contains ten of his songs and Dylan’s She Belongs To Me. In both catchy and rootsy melodies the musician/painter does not only sing, but he also plays the guitar, piano, wurlitzer and drums. Friends on dobro, cello, accordeon and background vocals even enrich these miniatures.

Melancholy continually overshadows Sun’s by no means small craftmanship. In creating an atmosphere he needs only few instruments. He uses them very effectively: brushes and a plopping bass for instance propel Queen Anne’s Lace. On top of that a repetitive acoustic guitar riff sounds and an electric guitar plays long notes. Because of that relative simplicity his beautiful compositions attract all the more attention.

In his songs Sun combines elements from singer-songwriter and folk just as easily with influences from country and pop. This Lightning contains a musical reference to the Kinks’ Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and elsewhere Johnny Cash’s spirit wanders through a barren song.

Doing so he renders a personal interpretation to tradition, just like on Just For Fun, his CD especially aimed at children. It is a crash course roots music in which his Trampoline merges seamlessy with eight classic children’s songs which Sun changes into reggae, funk, calypso, country and folk. Sun and occasional friends do no stylistic concession whatsoever. That way the only 37 minutes short CD turns into an impeccable sample of roots styles.

Published partially in Dutch roots music magazine Heaven no. 65 March-April 2010/no. 2 and in its entirety on www.popmagazineheaven.nl