Instrumental. Classic guitar from the master who played on Chris Issac's early albums.

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Originally published by Local M Feb. 3, 2008...

Artist: James Wilsey
Album: "El Dorado"
Label: Lakeshore Records
Genre: Cinematic Instrumentals
Release Date: Feb. 19, 2008

Dayfall, mid-August. A hot summer night is around the bend, but you can’t relax: There’s trouble brewing on the horizon. Given the trembling haze of the disappearing sun, you have trouble making out what it is. You squint, but nothing. You squint again. You spy a glimmer of … there’s a thick crack, and you’re out cold.

Verdict: Brick to the face. What happens next, you ask? Well, in a perfect world, the camera would pan out and James Wilsey’s music would rumble out of the theater’s speakers.When there’s treachery involved, the first disc any soundtrack supervisor should reach for is “El Dorado,” the guitar slinger’s solo debut.Perhaps best known for the legendary licks on Chris Isaak’s ubiquitous hit “Wicked Game,” Wilsey is any given pandering-to-the-hipsters director’s wet dream. (Is it just a coincidence that Lakeshore Records is putting this record out?)

For “El Dorado,” he took the work he did with Isaak – though not so much the work he did with the Avengers – and crafted the ultimate instrumental album for anyone who grew up addicted to Tarantino flicks. It’s incredibly passé to say a song is worthy of inclusion on the “Pulp Fiction” soundtrack, but that is exactly the sentiment laid out by the 10 tracks that compose “El Dorado”.

It’s puff, puff, play this record for California’s resident guitar virtuoso. Like any good sans-vocals release, Wilsey’s easy, breezy songs seamlessly segue from one to another: The title track launches this Havana affair, and the good vibrations don’t stop until it’s time to flip the disc.Make no mistake, however; “El Dorado” isn’t without its share of standouts.

“Discos Nuevos” is a funky little number, and “The Rattler” sounds like a boogie-boardin’ night tremor (in a good way), but “Diabolic” is probably the best place to start. It’s fairly upbeat, and Wilsey’s signature guitar noodlings massage your mind like an economy size pack of codeine-coated gummy bears.

The efficacy of the warmth reverberating from his guitar is undeniable, though this album should probably come with a warning: Best not drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to it, as Wilsey’s instrumentals have an uncanny ability to lull listeners into some sort of weird, meditative state.
Whether he intended it or not, this is music to “drop out” to.

Reviewed by Matthew R. Perrine. Matthew