Mark Karan
Walk Through The Fire - album review 
Release Date 6/30/09

Mark Karan - Walk Through the Fire - Album review
Mark Karan with Ratdog
Jemimah Puddleduck
Mark Karan website references

Walk Through the Fire

Walk Through the Fire is Mark Karan's first solo album. Mark is best known for his work with Bob Weir's band Ratdog. He's been the lead guitarist in Ratdog since 1998. Mark's also been a sideman and session player on many great recordings, as well as graced the stage with a who's who list. More details in Mark's bio.

Mark also leads a band called Jemimah Puddleduck. To get some additional insight into Mark's playing I sought some of that material in reviewing Walk Through the Fire. Jemimah's sets include a nice balance of Karan originals, covers, and Grateful Dead songs. From a set from 1/19/2000, in Tahoe City, CA Mark does an interpretation of a Gram Parson's song from his first solo album called "She." The live recording Mark gave an introduction noting that he listening to a Gram Parson's tribute and hearing that song for the first time in about one hundred years gave him the inspiration for him to do it too. I'm sure glad he did. Mark does a fine job on the vocals and the guitar work is Garcia like with Mark chasing the melody and bending and twisting it along the way. Then, they segue into a closing verse of "Jack Straw" to close the song. So we have probably my favorite voice with Gram and my favorite guitarist with Garcia on this interpretation. If you're wondering what Jerry Garcia would sound like playing with Gram Parsons, this is probably pretty close. I really enjoyed this immensely. 

Moving along to the album Walk Through the Fire. With downloads a popular way to buy music rather than CD's, many people don't have the album cover. If you fall into that camp, there are instructions provided. The back cover reads "this album is meant to be played loud, turn it up!!!

So with Mark's background with Ratdog, The Other One's, and his band Jemimah Puddleduck playing a fair number of Dead covers, is Walk Through the Fire going to be a Jerry Garcia clone recording or something more unique and original? I know you're wondering. Especially because there is a Grateful Dead cover, "Easy Wind" to close the disc. 

Walking Through the Fire is a mix of six originals and six covers. Mark's  songwriting is very good and the diverse well selected covers songs are impressively arranged, which range from the blues legend Robert Johnson to New Wave king Joe Jackson. There is a heavy blues tone to the album, with an original approach. 

Throughout Walk Through the Fire, Mark demonstrates that he can arrange, sing, and play guitar with authority. Mark's vocals are clear, commanding, and powerful, while his guitar playing is effortless, melodic and expressive. 

As all the songs are noteworthy, I took the approach of reviewing the album with a track by track comment. The album starts upbeat with "Annie Don't Lie." It has a blues pattern, but has New Orleans feel, a great piano solo, and even better guitar solo. 

"Leave the Light On" follows, an original. This song has a very enjoyable close with mellow background vocals and its groove allows for some nice riffs and soloing. The technique reminds me of the great Allman Brothers song "Melissa" in its approach with the guitar technique and string bending; a nice close to the song.

"Bait the Hook" is an upbeat number, the first of four songs that have Jackie LaBranch & Gloria Jones, both Jerry Garcia Band alumni, helping out on background vocals.

The title track "Walk Through the Fire" demonstrates a nice melodic slide guitar aasault, uniquely achieving a gentle and eerie tone. Mark is a cancer survivor, and is donating all proceeds from the song “Walk Though the Fire” to the Oral Cancer Foundation. 

Mark tackles a cover of a Robert Johnson "Love In Vain," and long time blues great, Delaney Bramlett is a guest on the track. Their interpretation is quite enjoyable, with some nice Dobro, and Mark's guitar soloing is effective. Vocally, Mark and Delaney have a good vibe singing and shouting. Bramlett's vocals bring back memories of the Eric Clapton's first solo album, which Bramlett was an instrumental part of. As an aside...More...

"Rock Your Papa" another original is a winner from the start, the guitar introduction has a piercing bite, and is crunchy and explosive. Very melodically the band shares patterns back and forth, adding fills and thrills. Mark provides a mighty impressive guitar solo. 

That was a nice song. Can it get better? You bet. "Memphis Radio" is a cover song written by Susan Sheller, I'm not familiar with her version. This is probably my favorite song on the album. It opens with a great groove with nice guitar flavorings. It has that infamous Amos Garrett type sound from the Maria Muldaur's 1973 classic "Midnight at the Oasis." The ending solo again visits that "Melissa" soloing approach, two of my favorites mellow rock songs. 

The longest track, "Time Will Tell" takes on a nasty tone. Or at a minimum a dark feeling. The soloing is guitar driven with the band locked in. Plenty of noodling to build peaks with a real nice conclusion. For Pink Floyd fans, there's a bit David Gilmour technique, including the guitar effects implemented to close the guitar solo. 

"Love Song" has a similar feel to it as "Memphis Radio," and could be a candidate for radio play. The background vocals by Jackie and Gloria highlight Mark's arrangement capabilities. 

Following are three cover songs, all very different, all wonderful. First is a melodic number, a Randy Newman song, "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today." This track gives the keyboardist plenty of time to display their talents. Mark's vocals are strong. 

"Fools In Love" a Joe Jackson cover has a Reggae mood. A really solid interpretation of the song, offering a great vibe, melodic tones, captivating vocals, and the instrumental solos are spot on. 

Last is a Grateful Dead song from Workingman's Dead, "Easy Wind." They take an original approach to it. The vibrating bass notes to close the disc is a welcome send off.   

To answer the question initially asked, is the album going to be a Jerry Garcia clone recording? Not at all. If one was familiar with Garcia's playing and randomly heard Walk Through the Fire, they'd have no idea that Mark has Jerry's repertoire under his belt. In fact, I hear more Roy Buchanan, Dickey Betts, David Gilmour, and Amos Garrett than Jerry. 

To sum up, Walk Through the Fire, this is our kind of music. With an even mix of cover songs or the originals, which are better, the cover songs or the originals? They're both impressive. Throughout the disc Mark shows that he can write songs, as well as interpret others material with class and style. 

Finally, what surprised me most about the CD is how good of a singer Mark is. Perhaps my review is a bit wordy. That's because there's a lot of good things to say about it. To repeat an introductory remark, throughout Walk Through the Fire Mark's vocals are clear, commanding, and powerful, while his guitar playing is effortless, melodic and expressive. 

"This album is meant to be played loud, turn it up!!!"

Review by Barry Small©

Cover songs discussion
Delaney Bramlett with Eric Clapton 

featuring The Persuasions, Jemimah Puddleduck (MK/John Molo/JT Thomas/Bob Gross), Glenn Hartman

2 LEAVE A LIGHT ON (Mark Karan) (6:49)

featuring The Rowan Brothers, John Molo, JT Thomas, Hutch Hutchinson, Wally Ingram

3 BAIT THE HOOK (Mark Karan) (4:20)

featuring Jemimah Puddleduck, Jackie LaBranch & Gloria Jones

4 WALK THROUGH THE FIRE (Mark Karan) (4:13)

featuring JT Thomas, Hutch Hutchinson, Wally Ingram, Jimmy Sanchez

5 LOVE IN VAIN (Robert Johnson) (5:25)

featuring Delaney Bramlett, Pete Sears, John Molo, Hutch Hutchinson

6 ROCK YOUR PAPA (Mark Karan) (4:59)

featuring Bill Payne, The Persuasions, Mike Finnigan, John Molo, Hutch Hutchinson, Glenn Hartman

7 MEMPHIS RADIO (Susan Sheller) (6:00)

 featuring JT Thomas, Hutch Hutchinson, Wally Ingram, Jimmy Sanchez, Jackie LaBranch & Gloria Jones

8 TIME WILL TELL (Mark Karan) (8:49)

featuring John Molo, JT Thomas, Hutch Hutchinson

9 LOVE SONG (Mark Karan) (4:08)

featuring Mike Finnigan, Hutch Hutchinson, Wally Ingram, Jimmy Sanchez, Jackie LaBranch & Gloria Jones, Amber Morris & April Grisman

10 THINK IT’S GONNA RAIN (Randy Newman) (4:50) - featuring Jemimah Puddleduck

11 FOOLS IN LOVE (Joe Jackson) (6:59)

featuring Jemimah Puddleduck, Wally Ingram, Jackie LaBranch & Gloria Jones, Amber Morris & April Grisman

12 EASY WIND (Robert Hunter) (6:44)

Mark Karan with Bob Weir (Ratdog, Other Ones)

Jemimah Puddleduck

Musicians

* Mark Karan – guitar, lead vocals
* John Molo – drums, percussion
* Bob Gross – bass, backing vocals
* Arlan Schierbaum – Wurlitzer, B-3, lead vocal on "My Car is So Groovy"

Credits
* Produced by Mark Karan
* Engineered by Arlan Schierbaum and Blake Beman
* Mastered by Technovoice, Studio City CA
* Artwork by Mikio Kennedy
* Photography by Alan Hess
* Design and layout by Mark Karan and Alan Hess

Delaney Bramlett is often credited in pushing Clapton to sing, and the Deluxe Version of that album includes a second disc, which is the mix that Delaney made. The original album that is also included is the Tom Dowd mix.

Cover Songs

Below we referenced a few of the songs that Mark does covers of.

Eric Clapton's first vocals with John Mayall was a Johnson cover, "Ramblin' On My Mind." In 2004 Clapton released tribute to Robert Johnson; a CD, Me and Mr. Johnson and DC/DVD, Sessions for Robert Johnson.  I like the DVD much better than the CD. 

Mentioned in the review of Walk Through the Fire, Mark does a version of Gram Parson's song "She." Elvis Costello is a big Gram Parsons fan and his album Almost Blue is a record in the tradition of Gram Parsons. 

Emmylou Harris, who sings on Gram's version from his debut solo album, also includes her own version on Luxury Liner.

Visit our Gram Parsons section.