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Mark Spiro: Traveling Cowboys
Mark Spiro - Traveling Cowboys Album Art

Mark Spiro: Traveling Cowboys

Melodic Rock
4.0/5.0

Internet (Label)
InsideOut Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 05.05.2021 | Released: 07.05.2021

Singer and songwriter Mark Spiro has had a long and legendary musical career, even though many music fans may not know him or his contributions. An American and hailing from Seattle, Spiro's first adventures began in Hollywood working with German producer Jack White (Laura Branigan, Stevie Woods, Anne Murray, David Hasselhoff) who recorded more than 100 Spiro penned songs. Later Spiro would go on to write songs for such films as Top Gun, True Romance, and Selena, further expanding his career and resume.

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Mark Spiro

Moreover his songs have been written for and/or recorded by well-known artists like Heart, Cheap Trick, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, and Bad English with Forget Me Not and Heaven Is A 4 Letter Word (personal favorites). Over the breadth and depth of his career, Spiro has 45 Gold and Platinum Records, and nine solo albums, selling more than a 100 million copies worldwide. Just last year, Frontiers Music celebrated his massive career with a three-CD compilation. Now Spiro's returns with a new solo album, Traveling Cowboys featuring Tim Pierce and Gia Sky.

After that lengthy biographical synopsis, what shall we say about the new album? After some spins, my first impression was simply not compare Spiro's songwriting to those songs recorded by other artists. That is to say, one, lyrically, there's seems to be more intimacy to his song construction wherein life, love, and a songwriter's poetic observation of things before and beyond him abound in his writing. Musically Spiro's leans more towards lighter melodic rock focused upon his vocal melody and harmony directed by his lyrics. You'll find an abundance of piano or acoustic guitar supported by rhythm section groove, while his voice moves effortlessly above. You'll hear this with Going, Someone Else, Traveling Cowboys, and Between The Raindrops, by example. Then's there's the more upbeat side of Nothing In Between Us, 7 Billion People (with Julian Lennon) and its fine guitar work, and the shuffle of Dance and its concluding guitar solo. Alternatively, even though it starts deceptively slow, VanderPump is driven by heavier riffs and a quicker pace. All said, Mark Spiro's Traveling Cowboys offers listeners, perhaps some new to the musician, a fine album of his skillful songwriting driven by Spiro's smooth vocal melody and harmony and expressive lyrics. Recommended, especially as an introduction to the artist.




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The Take Away

Mark Spiro's Traveling Cowboys offers listeners, perhaps some new to the musician, a fine album of his skillful songwriting driven by Spiro's smooth vocal melody and harmony and expressive lyrics.

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