By: Chad Murray
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Don’t be put off by the somewhat pretentious name, this is actually a pretty great album.From the off-set, ‘Spiritual Deliverance’ sets the tone for the album; instrumental acoustic guitar centred songs played extremely well with a degree of soul and some euphoric harmonies. What becomes abundantly clear in the first two tracks is that the consistency of the album makes it flow seamlessly and effortlessly from track to track and that adds a large part to the overall enjoyment of the album.
‘Ride To Nowhere’ is the first track that really jumps out of the album for me. It enters the album with thick bluesy guitar rolls that really seem a bit too gnarly and grungy from what the album initially sets itself out to be and yet, it works perfectly. The lead guitar flutters in nicely but, it maintains a downtrodden vibe as it progresses; perhaps the downside to this track is that in its repetition it almost becomes a song without vocals rather than an instrumental song. Although, this probably only detracts from it when pondering the arrangement rather than allowing the album to rightfully take its course.
Far away from city walls does not fall into this trap; there is a driving force behind this track that is not limited to traditional rock music. The use of samples is pleasant and intriguing, the rhythm guitar gallop is engrossing and the lead is always lightly poignant without becoming sappy.
The virtuoso guitarist begins to emerge more evidently in the later tracks in the album with ‘There Is No Home’ and ‘Waiting For The Storm’ being immediate stand out tracks. The distortion in the latter is a nice departure that helps give it a unique character whilst the picking in the former is simply outstanding.
‘The Sand Path’ is nice enough but, I’d contend it works best as a highway for ‘Roads To Somewhere’; the seven minute opus showcases the style of the album in its various elements whether it be dark hammering rhythm guitar, carefully plucked melodies or delicately flying leads, the track is arguably the best scale down version of the album for new listeners to sample the larger whole.
It’s unusual but, I think that whilst ‘Left Behind’ is the shortest track, it is probably my favourite on the album. It is calm, light and fluttery; nicely played, unassuming and never self-indulgent…I’d even go as for to say that it is modest and self-reflexive at the same time. ‘Left Behind’ could be a much longer track and I’d love it even more but, even in its current incarnation its quite exquisite.
This eponymous album might not set your world on fire but, it’s certainly something that you can enjoy and have on in the background or even use as a soundtrack. It has a great flow as an album, awesome artwork and clearly displays talent but, I feel as though the strength of this album is that it displays a lot of potential and I don’t doubt that there’s great things to come from this guitar wizard.
