Establishing the mood with a powerful drum performance and a bold and assertive electric guitar soundscape, Garrett Anthony Rice opens Purple Man (For Jimi) with drama, intrigue and instrumental mastery as he introspectively sings, “Purple Man, where’d you land? Where d’you stand on your brand? Underground? Deep, not found. You’re with me, every day, literally, internally, eternally…”
The opus expands with melodic depth, astral notes and a driving bass as Garrett Anthony Rice shares a unique and captivating ode to his idol, Jimi Hendrix. For some background, there’s always been some mystery around Jimi Hendrix’s death.
Officially, he died in 1970 after choking on his own vomit whilst unconscious, with sleeping pills and alcohol in his system, but things got a little murky. People who were there recounted different stories, the timeline didn’t really line up, and details about how much he took were never clear. No solid evidence ever proved anything else, so naturally it was ruled an accident, but the loose ends have kept rumours and theories alive ever since.
Garrett Anthony Rice shines a light on this in a moody and cerebral way. We love the staccato delivery of the vocals, juxtaposed with the longer lines. Sonically, the song fits into the realm of a movie like Queen of the Damned, there’s a touch of Bowie in Garrett’s poetic phrasing and ideologies, whilst the guitar presence especially in the middle eight is nothing short of the perfect tribute to Jimi himself.
The Jimi Hendrix reference might be obvious in the title, but the song doesn’t fall into clichéd imitation. Instead of copying Jimi Hendrix’s sound, Garrett Anthony Rice takes in the style and spirit and creates his own universe.
We learn that Garrett Anthony Rice is an Irish musician from County Dublin, who is now based in Greystones. He is set to make a major impact with his upcoming double album EQUINOX.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Purple Man (For Jimi) to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream Garrett Anthony Rice‘s wider discography, including the accompanying single, In The Night Time We Shone.