Many electric guitarists feel the need to get all self-indulgent when recording instrumental albums, but Peter Mac is above that. Perhaps it's because the ax slinger for the Milwaukee Bucks' house band, Streetlife, isn't just adept on the frets. Mac plays guitar, keys and sometimes bass on most of the 11 tracks on Dreaming in Neon, his latest self-released CD.
With polish and panache, Mac glides effortlessly among genres, engaging in a metal-riffic stomp on "Heavy World," flirting with dirty blues on "Loves Anthem," wailing loud and clear on "Blindsided" and "The Bad Genie," proceeding tentatively on "Purgatory" and the acoustic interlude "NDL," and uncorking his lively and fluid brand of jazzy pop on the title track.
Mac, who is backed by one to three musicians on most tracks, recorded Dreaming in Neon locally. And while not particularly inventive, these songstechnical and accessible at the same timeprove that Mac makes better music than many of his higher-profile, instrumental-only peers.
