AL DI MEOLA ~ Opus
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Track listing:
It’s a happy listen IMHO, nice and clean and crisp in a fusion of styles and influences, including jazz, Latin, and Flamenco, and we even get a peek into Al’s inner rock star, a la the almost Gilmour-esque “Broken Heart”. Sure there’s a little meandering, but paradoxically, it seems purposeful to me, and I don’t mind some straying off the beaten track, however, he’ll no doubt get criticism from the harder core jazz contingent along with comparisons to his previous works – can’t please all the people all the time.
He alternates between acoustic and electric guitars and the album is instrumental. I recommend listening only rather than watching him strut his publicity shots; modesty is a not a word I’d associate with this particular virtuoso. On the other hand, I notice he has opted for a golden crowned knight on the cover of this album which is infinitely preferable to the dreadful Elysium and one or two other rather questionable previous ‘artworks’ such as the unforgettable Kiss My Axe, lol!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a tour de force, but it’s is a very pleasing thing overall; easy on the ear without compromising interest.
A live performance of “Frozen in Time” – loved the album/studio version on which you can hear the icy, breathless stillness that isn’t really done justice here, but anyway … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wrW3-_vJ68
The aforementioned “Broken Heart” …
Track listing:
- Milonga Noctiva [Wandering in the Dark]
- Broken Heart
- Ava's Dream Sequence Lullaby
- Cerreto Sannita (My Grandfather's Village Near Napoli)
- Notorious
- Frozen in Time
- Escapado
- Pomp
- Left Unsaid
- Insieme
- Rebels
It’s a happy listen IMHO, nice and clean and crisp in a fusion of styles and influences, including jazz, Latin, and Flamenco, and we even get a peek into Al’s inner rock star, a la the almost Gilmour-esque “Broken Heart”. Sure there’s a little meandering, but paradoxically, it seems purposeful to me, and I don’t mind some straying off the beaten track, however, he’ll no doubt get criticism from the harder core jazz contingent along with comparisons to his previous works – can’t please all the people all the time.
He alternates between acoustic and electric guitars and the album is instrumental. I recommend listening only rather than watching him strut his publicity shots; modesty is a not a word I’d associate with this particular virtuoso. On the other hand, I notice he has opted for a golden crowned knight on the cover of this album which is infinitely preferable to the dreadful Elysium and one or two other rather questionable previous ‘artworks’ such as the unforgettable Kiss My Axe, lol!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a tour de force, but it’s is a very pleasing thing overall; easy on the ear without compromising interest.
A live performance of “Frozen in Time” – loved the album/studio version on which you can hear the icy, breathless stillness that isn’t really done justice here, but anyway … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wrW3-_vJ68
The aforementioned “Broken Heart” …
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson
