Dale Anderson - Art Voice - 1994

Who would have guessed that the quieter stuff would be the heart and soul of a George Puleo solo album? Fortunately, for a blazing excursion into guitar-powered rock and roll, you don't have to look any further than a Southtowns whiz named Greg Meckes. Give him a plaque for being "The Most Experienced Rookie of the Year".

Meckes, who labored in a LadyFire offshoot called Krystal Kitty and God knows how many practice rooms before showing up recently in Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine, has come up with a truly remarkable debut CD. Entitled Square One, it is the rarest of releases - an all instrumental album that makes you want to turn the volume up instead of down.

Sheer energy puts Meckes across right from the opening rush of "Cruisin". But energy isn't all he's got. A dazzling array of solo ideas keeps things interesting from the bubbling rythm of "Go Funk Yourself" to the breakneck arpeggios of "Livin Large".

Furthermore, Meckes isn't afraid to change the pace down shifting into reflective balladry in "Missing You" and "Falcon's Flight" and putting the pedal all the way to the floor in the super charged "Generic Shuffle". As for communing with the Gods, he gives special thanks in the liner notes to Steve Morse of the Dixie Dregs.

And lets not forget the rest of the band - drummer Jim Linsner, keyboardist Pat Georger, and bassist James Wynne. Although Meckes has the spotlight in Square One, these guys do an equally terrific job of keeping it all tight behind him.