Philip Masorti

Reviews

Maverick Magazine:

November 2009

A singer-songwriter blessed with the ability to reach beyond just writing nice songs and singing them well.

There is a fine line between a song like the title track being mesmerisingly personal and mawkishly uncomfortable. Whatever some songwriters may think, not everyone wants to know every intimate detail of their lives but Masorti's understated honesty presents his story simply and with great charm. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that the tracks that follow it, Ball and Chain and Mark Twain are chaotic and almost apocalyptic examples of country-rock. Mark Twain in particular has a sinister undercurrent. But one thing is crystal clear, within the boundaries of a singer-songwriter, Philip Masorti has the ability to shock.

How you perceive Philip Masorti largely depends on which track you're listening to. A song like Lean On Me is going to draw inevitable comparisons with the late, great Warren Zevon with whom Masorti shares a sense of darkness, helped in no small way by a deep rich voice. However, similarity is not imitation and there's more than enough originality and imagination in FATHER'S EYES to absolve Philip Masorti of that charge. What FATHER'S EYES adds up to is a collection of country/folk/pleasantly mild rock songs but all looked at by a musician with a unique vision.

AustinDaze.com:

5-24-09

Philip Masorti—Father’s Eyes—Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter blends many different flavors of country, blues and folks while using strong literary references. Bringing intensely personal, political and darkly sentimental music to the forefront, Father’s Eyes is the debut album that showcases Masorti’s efforts. 4.5 McRiprock’s.

Bootleg Magazine:

(running in April Issue)

Philip Masorti’s debut, Father’s Eyes, melds country with sizzling guitar riffs and delta blues. The lyrics are poetic and there are numerous literary allusions throughout, especially on ‘Mark Twain.’ Noah Wotherspoon's guitar is responsible for much of the album's texture, particularly on ‘Ball and Chain’ and ‘Medicine Man,’ both featuring dirty blues slide guitar palying. The drums are exceptional and incredibly tight on every track, and the bass spot-on. There are instances sound Zeppelin-inspired and Masorti’s vocals are reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s, particularly on the haunting slow blues ballad ‘Butchers Bill,’ when he sings "The hearse horse sighs/Pulling wicked bones/The main street lamps all flicker/To the raven’s muted tones."

The album can be split into two halves, the first half comprised mostly of heavy rock numbers, the second with the exception of the rocker, ‘Come Home,’ is slower, mellower tracks. ‘Promises,’ on the second half has a reggae feel to it, due to vibrato on the loosely spaced, reverberating guitar parts. The title track is perhaps the strongest. And though it’s the only entirely solo acoustic song, ‘Fathers Eyes’ has the most insightful lyrics. Although it’s more stripped down than the rest of the album, it’s a perfect opening and indication of things to come. ‘Marigold’ features the best guitar work on the album, with a bluesy acoustic solo towards the end of the song. "I wish I was a millionaire/Wouldn’t have another care/All of the people would stop and stare/If I was a millionaire," Masorti sings during the aptly titled, ‘Millionaire.’ The following verse is similar in that it deals with daydreams of becoming a millionaire in a simple manner, rhyming each line. The final verse puts another spin on the song entirely. "The city is cold this time of year/The time I have left is the time I fear/Another rider, another fare/Wish I was a millionaire," Masorti sings.

There is variety overall, but many of the slide-guitar based rock songs sound similar, most played at roughly the same tempo, and based around a central guitar riff. Masorti’s vocals aren’t particularly dynamic, so the lyrics are what separate these songs. Though the musicianship of the studio players is impressive, at times it feels mismatched and sounds like Masorti is playing with hired guns. Even the incredible solos on songs like ‘Come Home’ and ‘Mark Twain’ feel a bit tacked on. That said, there are twelve tracks here, and no two of the similar songs are placed one after the other, and the album is put together so that it flows well from beginning to end.

Greg Newman,
Bootleg Magazine

Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange:

Father's Eyes, Philip Masorti

Apache Music - apc-fe-10008

Available from Philip Masorti's web site.

A review written for the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange by Bob Gottlieb (taoboy@cox.net)

Philip Masorti writes all the twelve songs on this disc, on four of them he is a co-writer with Noah Wotherspoon (guitars and percussion) and Delmar Brown (piano, synthesizer, bass synthesizer, clapping and additional guitar), the later two are credited with writing the music on those four songs. To be real frank, I'm not sure what to make of this disc. The songs have good ideas behind them, yet somehow they don't seem to stick in the mind after they are over. Definitely the songs are much more effective and interesting when he has his band behind him, particularly Noah Wotherspoon on guitars, though the others all do quite a good job supporting them and making them sonically much more interesting. Masorti's vocals are definitely an acquired taste, as he has a rather flat and unexpressive voice that pretty much stays in the same place all the time and does little to expand the song in any way.

Now the guitar playing of Noah Wotherspoon is the high point of the disc and, though this is Philip's disc, it owes of the most sparkling moments to his guitar playing. He is at times quietly sensitive and at other times he steps up and the guitar comes to the forefront, though he never overpowers the song and takes it away from Philip.

Track List

Edited by: David N. Pyles

Rootstime:

(translated from Dutch)

Philip Masorti are a lawyer from Pensylvania Furnace, who as he even time and inspiration has, venture themselves to what songwriting have surrounded themselves and for this first cd with a group puike bandsmen. Nobody less than Hiram Bullock, Jonathan Mover, Will Lee and Micheal Hill accompanies him on "Father' s Eyes". But the strongest element between those speculators for us on these release the messcherpe, deeply southern slide jet ear has been sounded of the young Noah Wotherspoon, a boy whose name we must remember certainly. Philip' s songs has been engaged and has been charged often politically, but also the more traditional topic such as relation problems is taken into consideration. With this debut wonder themselves you if the man does not improve the counter good-bye can say, because this can be there certain. The production in the hands of Delmar Brown, the well-known jazz and blues organist had been confessed of Miles Davis, needled and godfather Gabriel. It was he the puike cast also that of speculators introduced. The numbers of Philip have an originality with regard to advancement and texts which him distinction of the rest of the current Americana releases. He is storyteller which are texts bring in a manner which does me think sometimes of Leonard Cohen something what most clear to for comes in the song "Butcher' s Bill". To be voice a restful contrast with the splendidly sounding bluesy jet ear parties of the young Noah Wotherspoon, which sometimes thoughtful and laid back sfeertje can scoops come sometimes virulently sharply, but from the angle, like in "Ball & Chain", no, not the well-known bluescover, but own work of Philip, all songs as a matter of fact on this debut. "Come Home" and "Mark of Twain" to be there still this way some, with those slide which tekeer go as a devil in a we water barrel. Clincher "Willow" is afterwards in strong contrast, contemplative and quiet, with texts which you to thinking to put. The result of this eersteling, in the Skyline studios incorporated in New York can be there certain, a cd which holds your attention by its original approach, but what concerns us, also the strong slidewerk of the young Noah Wotherspoon. (RON)

Celebrity Café:

Philip Masorti – Father's Eyes

- Philip Masorti is the perfect example of someone living his dream. He has been making a living as a lawyer since 1992 and writing and recording songs on the side. "Father’s Eyes" is his first album, and his years of work paid off.

The best part of this blues CD is the guitar, with the second best part being the lyrics. For lyrics, the title track reminds me of Harry Chapin’s classic "Cat;s in the Cradle," while track 10, "Marigold," talks about a relationship gone wrong. In terms of music, track 3, "Mark Twain" and track 5, "Medicine Man," have awesome guitar solos.

The only less impressive moments are track 4, "Millionaire" which sounds just a little blah, and track 8, "Butcher’s Bill," which gets boring. But those are merely blips on an otherwise good record. I don’t think anyone will be telling Masorti to keep his day job.

Reviewer: Alyssa Marcus