By Tom Lydde

Mark Buerschaper refers to his music as "Big Time alternative Folk". I would call him a Troubadour with a drum machine.

The twelve tracks on No Figment of imagination were written, performed and recorded by Mark Buerschaper. With the exception of photography and artwork, everything on this CD is credited to Mark: from producer, to engineer, to harmonica, to programming the aforementioned drum machine. It is my assumption that this multi-tasking was due more to a tight budget than any desire on Mark's part to do it all himself. So, with that in mind, my only real complaint about the production is that most of these songs would have been great with simply a tambourine or a little hand percussion, as opposed to the drum machine that was used. The only song where I found the programmed drums effective was on the more upbeat "Count the Ways", where the syncopated beat was integral to the song. With that said, Mark did do an admirable job of recording himself and putting together No Figment of imagination. He captured some very nice moments, my picks being "Hazy August" and "Vanity on Parade".

As a vocalist, Mark has a big, booming voice and an impressive range. At times his style is very reminiscent of Roy Orbison and, at other times, his slightly nasal tone shows a Neil Young influence. He has an expressive voice and a knack for down-home storytelling. As a multi-instrumentalist, Mark does an excellent job. He is a very good guitarist, plays a convincing harmonica and pulls off some keys on "In LA" and "Hazy August". In short, I believe Mark is capable of doing some very nice work if he just had a little help in the studio.

It is my understanding that Mark usually performs in the solo acoustic, coffee house setting and I think this would be the perfect environment for his style of music. Based on what I heard on No Figment of imagination, his acoustic guitar and his voice are all Mark Buerschaper needs to draw an audience in.

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