AMG Review of Electrical Gas

Chris Nickson
All Music Guide

From the album title you have a pretty good clue as to what's in the package: an electric version of the Mason Williams classic. But it's not too electric -- Zoe McCulloch shows great restraint throughout, working over the tune rather than dominating it, and giving a more contemporary feel to everything. That's true for much of the album, in fact, the two guitars complementing rather than fighting each other. She does let loose a bit on "Gypsy Noodle," which has a prog rock lite feel, and gets to show that she has some serious chops. "Destinations of the Sun" offers a bit of a Caribbean tour, with everything from Brazilian rhythms to steel pan along with the guitars. It's a bit of a mishmash, but it works. "Eddie I'm Ready," which is essentially a '50s chord progression, is a sweetly sentimental piece, both in its instrumental and vocal versions -- pleasant enough, but lacking in real inspiration. At times the orchestrations go a little over the top (less, rather than more, would have worked better), but the joy is the way the two lead instrumentalists work together.