GUITARS

One of the most underrated releases from Mike! "Guitars" is my favorite and the most original of Oldfield's album from the 90's. As its title may suggest, Music, sounds and rhythms here are mostly made with guitars. The record alternates inspired rock, blues, floating and melancholic passages, all instrumental and all in his own style.

It opens with "Muse", a short but nonetheless beautiful song, to go on with one of the highlights of the disc, "Cochise", displaying Mike Olfield's well known musical signature with various kinds of guitars, featuring floating, soft and energetic moments. This tune rocks! In contrast, "Embers" is much more calm and spacey, whereas the little magic "Summit Day" could have well escaped from "The Songs of Distant Earth". Then come the rock parts of the album with the hard bluesy "Out of Sight" and its catchy melody. Very refreshing and efficient! Electric guitars stay for the melancholic rock of "B. Blues", another powerful highlight of the record. Oldfield re-discover his 70's spirit with the mini-epic "Four Winds", changing from rock to enchanting and far-west ambiances! It even has sitar on it. You fell like riding a horse in a desert at the end of the song. The next track, "Enigmatism", is another little gem of acoustic guitar, very floating and mysterious. The flaws here are undoubtedly the two final tracks, "Out of Mind" and "From the Ashes", which are respectively repetitive and lazy...

Behind its audacious concept, "Guitars" truly contains great passages and shows that Mike has always something new to offer without losing his touch and his identity at any moment. Not very progressive, but nevertheless a surprising and enchanting album!