02/07/2014 Something Else! Reviews, Album review , 'Gently Sleeps'

"Pianist Mike McCarthy doesn’t pull any punches with Gently Sleeps, subtitling it “a calming tribute to the Beatles.” Of course, the risk there is that these solo reworkings could become so relaxing as to send us into a drowsy oblivion. McCarthy, based out of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, largely avoids that pitfall by delving into lesser-known cuts from this world-famous outfit – and that gives his album its gravitas..."

"The deep cut “Every Little Thing,” taken from 1964’s Beatles for Sale, never sounded so unabashedly gorgeous.

Meanwhile, “If I Needed Someone,” a Byrds-influenced song found tucked away on the following year’s Rubber Soul, is a triumph: McCarthy drills even deeper into the lovelorn melancholy that sat the heart of George Harrison’s lament."

"Leads the listener into a lullaby’s quietude."

"Elemental and deeply touching."

-Nick Deriso