reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Michael Mazochi - Volume 1: Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand...

Michael Mazochi’s independently released album Volume 1: Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand... is sprinkled with an array of soulful, western ballads and catchy, foot-stomping melodies created by him and his band, The Widows.  Beginning with the instrumental (rightfully titled) "Introduction," you’re brought up the narrow, country road - leading to his residence, deep in the mountains of Los Angeles.  And if you close your eyes, you can almost feel the sun on your face, and the wind in your hair.  The variety and arrangement of sounds and harmonies in tracks like "Georgia Line" and "The Blackbird Moan" will posses anyone to kick up the sawdust as they dance to the finger-pickin’ resonance.  In contrast, some of the other songs you’ll hear on the album tell tales of doubt and despair.  But, in the end, Mazochi’s lyrics somehow seem to shed light on this uncertain world.  The heart, emotion, and feel-good cadence that make up this masterpiece are, truly, a breath of fresh air. – Ashley Marie Sansotta