The new album by UK guitarist Chris Flegg can be summed up in three very simple words, Solo Acoustic Guitar.
If those words are enough to make you skip to the next item on your agenda, well cheerio, it was nice having you visit. Good luck with the rest of your day. But if that maintains your interest then you are in for a bit of a treat.
Of course, having an album that will only appeal to a narrow audience makes it a bit of a Marmite release, fans of the guitar will no doubt lap it up and I can imagine quite a few copies will be sold by those wanting to learn guitar but hoping to avoid the distorted bar-chords and screeching solos. So, for students and teachers, this may well become a reference in exploring what six simple strings can achieve.
The title of the album is understandable, with twenty songs it’s difficult to find variation in the tracks, but somehow it works. The music shifts from folk to jazz and at times feels as if the songs would sit perfectly into a Richard Curtis rom-com, what with the whimsical breezy nature of some of the tracks. ‘Her Favourite Flower’ is a case in point.
Obviously, this won’t be for everyone but there is something appealing in listening to somebody clearly at ease with their instrument, and as a soundtrack to peaceful thoughts, it’s unbeatable.
