Former songwriter/guitarist/vocalist and general power behind Boston's legendary Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus Hogarth brings his creative music to a unique setting on his fourth album, Live at Bose. Recorded on June 24, 2004, at the Bose Live Music Technology Division Performance Center at Bose Mountain, Framingham, MA, this funk/jazz/pop sounds like a studio recording, which was the general idea. The sonics remind one of '70s classics like George Benson's Weekend in L.A. and Jackson Browne's Running on Empty and feature Hogarth's chromatic harmonica, smooth soulful vocals, and boss band, a trio that includes David Buda on bass, David Sparr on keys, and drummer Joey Scrima, whose résumé includes work with Connie Stevens, David Benoit, and British/American singer Jules Ellison. The ten tracks are well paced, "The Long Goodbye" finding a nice Earth, Wind & Fire groove but sounding like it was penned by David Crosby midway through CSN&Y — a good blend of diverse styles.
> With the only "overdubs" being backing vocals tracked at keyboardist Sparr's Little Dog Studios, listeners will have a tough time picking up that the mellow ballad "I Want You in My Life" wasn't a total studio effort. Hogarth teaches guitar at the Berklee College of Music and tastefully plays alongside the keyboards, giving a nod to Boz Scaggs' trademark style. The album is immediately inviting, Hogarth's personable presence given a chance to emerge on disc here, perhaps because of the in-studio audience. "It Will Be True Always" could be the sleeper track, an understated modern-day "bachelor pad" vibe with the band tastefully giving the guitarist/singer the platform he needs. Having the Bose corporation sponsoring this effort across the country at high-end stores ought to bring Hogarth a wider audience, which he deserves. It would be nice to see the company push the work to mainstream radio and not take the same road tape company BASF did with their '70s Boston-based label. This strong effort is major-league, and though the influences are easy to identify, the end result is refreshingly original. Back