Dave Mason Albums (18)
'26 Letters 12 Notes'
Release Date 10/14/2008
Tracks 12
Label Megaforce
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Dave Mason is a co-founder of the legendary rock band Traffic. He's played on some of the greatest rock albums in history: Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and Delaney & Bonnie's Motel Shot among them. 26 Letters 12 Notes (issued on his own Out of the Box imprint through RED Distribution) is his first new album in a decade. Originally produced by Mason at home in California, additional recording was done in Detroit and Miami. It's a back to basics, '70s style rock and Brit soul record. It contains some modern co-production by a number of folks including the Motor City's Mark and Brian Pastoria (some of the mixing was also done in Detroit). It reveals Mason not only as a solid, focused, and relevant songwriter in the rock idiom, but as an expressive vocalist of uncanny power and depth (he's actually gotten better over the decades). His guitar playing has continued to develop and grow: he is a far more interesting player than his peer Eric Clapton is at this stage of the game. There isn't anything showy or hyper-consciously "dazzling" in the presentation, Mason's always been humble, and he sets his playing and singing to be true to his songs. There are some stellar guests on the set, including Willie Nelson (playing guitar, not singing), and percussionist and vocalist Sheila E. The big surprise is soul/gospel vocalist Beth Griffith belting it out with great firepower. The production is warm, lively, and immediate. It's not in your face; instead it concentrates on presenting the music as alive dynamically, though it is rich and deep in its textures. The opener, "Good 2 U," is classic Mason, with a bluesy guitar riff backed by a taut string arrangement. The blues ring out in fills against Mason's open, emotional baritone. The guitar winds around a funky backbeat on the refrain, complete with a chorus of backing vocalists, a tight snare, and a slithering B-3. "One Day" opens with the same raucous Stratocaster playing a gospel blues, with Mason belting it out on top. The chorus, piano, and organ interact with that guitar and are infectious. The keyboard sounds meld into Mason's rough-edged guitar in a chorded riff; they feel like the sound of the mid-'70s radio rock roaring out of the dashboard speakers. This is a highway anthem disguised as a broken love song. Mason's lyrics serve his voice; they are wonderfully written. In "How Do I Get to Heaven," his writing is emotionally worthy of Barrett Strong and lyrically of Bob Dylan. This is a hymn to busted love so emotionally authentic, we keep expecting the singer to break down. There's a beautiful pedal steel here played by Dana Keller that does exactly what it's supposed to do: add a ton of atmosphere without being intrusive. Mason loves late R&B and early rock & roll, as evidenced by the swagger in "Ain't Your Legs Tired Baby," with a smoking baritone sax adding raunch to the roll. Other winners include the midtempo torch song "Passing Thru the Flame," and two pumped up slippery funk tunes in "That's Love," and "World of Hunger" with Sheila E. There's also a happening Spanish guitar-tinged instrumental called "El Toro." The set ends with the country-ish "Full Circle and Then," a gorgeous love song with wonderful acoustic and electric guitar work as well as Mason's deeply committed vocal. 26 Letters 12 Notes stands tall in Mason's catalog; it's proof that some veteran rockers are still hungry for the Muse; they've have been stashing diamonds in the dust of age -- this album is full of them and proof that Mason doesn't rest on his laurels. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Feelinalright (Live)'
Release Date 6/18/2008
Tracks 11
Label Universal Japan
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Let It Flow'
Release Date 2/1/2008
Tracks 10
Label Sbme Special MKTS.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Let It Flow was the biggest selling album that Dave Mason had while on Columbia, as it contained his biggest hit, "We Just Disagree," as well as "Let It Go, Let It Flow." Everything here is similar in character to the latter song, though not all of it is as catchy or hook-driven. And there is a great deal else to recommend this record, including the horn-and-string ornamented "Mystic Traveler"; the soaring, soulful "Spend Your Life with Me"; the funky "Takin' the Time to Find"; and the soulful "What DO We Got Here?" Only the two hits off this album ended up on Sony/Legacy's compilation of Mason's work, Long Lost Friend: The Best of Dave Mason, so it is still a relevant purchase for those curious about Mason's work in the '70s. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'Live at Perkins Palace'
Release Date 3/12/2002
Tracks 13
Label Pioneer
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Back around 1981, a decade before MTV Unplugged came along, Dave Mason did this 50-minute show at Perkins Palace, playing acoustic guitar and backed by guitarist/violinist Jim Krieger. It was released on laserdisc by Pioneer Artists in the mid-'80s and became a favorite of fans who were equipped to play the software, but the 2002 CD release is the first chance that most of his audience will have to enjoy the performance. Mason does a nice, relaxed, informal set consisting of most of the songs for which he is best known -- "We Just Disagree," "Feelin' Alright," "All Along the Watchtower," "Bring It on Home to Me," "Take It to the Limit," and "Let It Go, Let It Flow" -- the latter beautifully showcasing Mason and Krieger's voices as well as their playing. The recording quality is good, with nice stereo separation between the two guitars, thus allowing the listener to appreciate the details in the performance; Mason and Krieger, between them, add some pleasant embellishments to songs such as "Stand by Me," "Sad and Deep As You," and Elmore James' "Dust My Blues." ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'The Live: 40,000 Headmen Tour'
Release Date 6/22/1999
Tracks 12
Label Receiver
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Little more than an authorized bootleg right down to its grainy cover and raw (but not unprofessional) sound, this captures the two Traffic founders on some dates from their three-month 1998 U.S. tour. Dave Mason receives the bulk of the attention, reprising five of his solo hits (four grabbed from his debut Alone Together disc) in reasonably spry but far-from-definitive versions. He's backed by Capaldi on drums and percussion -- who checks in with only one solo track, the snoozy "Love Will Keep Us Alive" -- and sturdy yet unspectacular hired hands bolstering the sound on keyboards and bass. Mason's ever-popular "Feelin' Alright?" gets yet another run-through, as do Traffic classics "Pearly Queen" and "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," the latter in a stripped-down folk arrangement that brings it closer to "John Barleycorn" territory. Mason pays tribute to John Lennon in the form of a snippet of "Dear Prudence" during "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave" and does a serviceable job on a rollicking version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." Deceased Traffic flute/woodwind player Chris Wood is memorialized in a brief sentence leading into the title track, but Steve Winwood's voice is sorely missed on a set-closing "Dear Mr. Fantasy" that lacks the psychedelic mystery of the original. Recorded direct to DAT with no overdubs, the sound is dry for a live show and the echoey between-song patter is practically unintelligible. It's a reasonable souvenir of the show for those who were there, but since all of these songs are available in superior versions elsewhere, there's scant reason for any but the most fanatical Traffic lover to add this to their collection. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Two Hearts'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 8
Label Universal Special Products
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Old Crest on a New Wave'
Release Date 1/1/1980
Tracks 10
Label Columbia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Dave Mason followed the success of Let It Flow with an album of songs arranged in a manner similar to the folk-pop hits from that he had recently enjoyed, notably "We Just Disagree." So, there was lots of 12-string acoustic guitar strumming and tight choral parts, and Jerry Williams came in to try to write some of the same kind of material. But nothing here quite clicked in the same way, though there was a pleasant cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" that scraped into the Top 40. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Through relentless touring in the mid-1970s, Dave Mason built up a concert audience that didn't necessarily translate into a record-buying audience, and this double-live album, released at a time when double-live albums were all the rage (remember Frampton Comes Alive?), was intended to address that problem. (Jim Krueger even contributed some Frampton-style "voicebox" guitar to "Goin' Down Slow.") It did demonstrate that Mason had a tight touring band and a repertoire of rock 'n' roll standards to draw from, as well as such interesting acquisitions as the Eagles' "Take It To The Limit" and the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin '," and while it didn't achieve the career breakthrough intended, it did give Mason time to craft the studio album that would achieve that breakthrough. (It also gave Columbia versions of such earlier Mason songs as "Feelin' Alright?," "Pearly Queen," "Sad And Deep As You," and "Only You Know And I Know.") (Originally released by Columbia Records as Columbia 34680, Certified Live was reissued on CD by One Way Records as One Way 26078 on August 29, 1995.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
