With the help of Nashville producer and award-winning songwriter Rick Beresford, singer-songwriter John McDonald blends reggae, rock and world beat music on his first full-length solo project.
The result is Right Place, Right Time, a feel good, up-tempo musical fusion that combines tropical instrumentation, world beat rhythms and evocative lyrics tinged with poignant themes.
Recorded in Pittsburgh PA and Cocoa Beach FL, this collection of songs initiates a new chapter for John, an artist inspired by an improbable concoction of literary and musical influences from the German philosopher Nietzsche and French novelist Camus to Paul Simon and Bob Marley.
Listeners hear the tropical, world-beat influence on Lose My Head Come to My Senses, I keep My Feet Moving, Wet Weather, Let the Waters Flow, People Come Into Your Life and Azaa Loo, a spirited homage to the connective, unifying power of music with a West African title meaning “Celebration!” In fact, this track is a global collaboration that prominently features an ensemble of African singers John never actually met in person.
Along with the exquisite styling of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands native Victor Provost, one of the preeminent steel drum instrumentalists in North America, Pittsburgh guitar virtuoso Dale Cinski and Florida percussionist Kevin Kornicki masterfully record tracks that create a lush soundscape underneath John’s voice.
So what do you get from the post-industrial heartland of America by an artist energized by the vibrant marketplace of ideas, creativity and entrepreneurship of “The Rust Belt Revival?”
A shot of hard-driving, percussive rock mixed with world-flavored rhythms and a dash of calypso and reggae…John McDonald’s CD Right Place, Right Time.
Check out what media reviewers have to say:
McDonald’s album is a tropical breeze … with upbeat rhythms, positive energy Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (click for full review)
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With just one listen, we are instantly transported to a land of sunshine and no stress…the mini-vacation! Whirl Magazine (click for full review)
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Warm up with the feel-good music of John McDonald… It will be tough to resist the urge to dance! Entertainment Central (click for full review)
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This is the kind of album you might expect after years leading the city’s premier party/cover band…happy…with self-reflection and observation Pittsburgh City Paper (click for full review)