Tommy Emmanuel's 2006
release, The Mystery,
produced under Steve Vai's Favored Nations recording label, is
comprised of a diverse set of strictly acoustic guitar tracks
that explore a wide range of styles of American music spanning
rag time, jazz, American folk, country, bluegrass, and pop.
Citing many diverse influences of legendary proportion, Emmanuel
draws from many of the 20th Century masters of acoustic guitar
including gypsy guitar icon and swing guitar pioneer Django
Reinhardt, country & Western innovater Merle Travis,
cornerstone of country guitar music Chet Atkins, American folk
legacy James Taylor, and even Motown's towering prodigy and
innovator of soul, Stevie Wonder. Unbound by a single style,
influence, or even genre of music, Emmanuel's unique acoustic
style is bound only by a drive for musical excellence in his
fretwork and soulful, heartfelt musical content articulated by
natural, untainted acoustic guitar voicings.
Emmanuel covers a broad
range of style and feel on "The Mystery". Though it is
not without some lively compositions, such as the "Gameshow
Rag / Cannonball Rag", the tone of the album is mostly
mellow, sensibly grounded, and soulful. Using only the natural
tones of the acoustic guitar, Emmanual is forced to use more
traditional means for developing depth in his music and does so
using a comprehensive combination of imaginative creativity,
textured rhythms, complex finger picking techniques, interleaved
melody lines, well-developed harmonization, and tactful changes
to create movement. The music is stripped bare of all electronic
influences and what is left is the naked, pristine music that is
reliant only upon Emmanuel's vision, wits, talent, and feel.
Emmanual applies the guitar primarily as a rhythm instrument,
though he uses fingerpicking and interwoven melody lines to layer
themes. He does so in a manner similar to his named guitar
influences, such as Django, Chet, Taylor and Reed.
The Mystery is an intensive instrumental,
acoustic outing from Tommy Emmanuel.
Emmanuel has done a remarkable job assimilating
a wide array of acoustic styles and integrating them
into the diverse arrangements on this album.
Fans of and musicians engaged in American folk music
and other forms of instrumental acoustic
guitar will be happy to add this
CD to their collections.
This CD is suitable for entertaining,
restaurant environments, easy listening,
driving, and other occasions that warrant
refined music with sophistication, vibrance, and depth.
| Players: |
|
|
| Tommy Emmanuel |
|
Acoustic Guitars |
| Tommy and Elizabeth
Watkins |
|
Vocals |
| Pam Rose |
|
Vocal Harmonies |
|
| Tracks: |
| 1)
Cantina Senese |
| 2)
Gameshow Rag / Cannonball Rag |
| 3) The
Mystery |
| 4)
Cowboy's Dream |
| 5) Walls |
| 6) Lewis
& Clark |
| 7) The
Diggers' Waltz |
| 8)
Antonella's Birthday |
| 9) And So
It Goes |
| 10)
That's the Spirit |
| 11)
Footprints |
| 12)Keep
It Simple |
|
| ~ Christopher
Ruel ~ www.ChrisRuel.com ~ Chris@ChrisRuel.com ~ March 2007 |
