GUITARS

"Guitars" is a real treat for those of us who appreciate Mike's large all-consuming projects but always yearn for a little more of his guitar and less of the big production. Well here it is and I think it's a little better than it gets credit for.

Just over half of this album is excellent. These six songs (Muse, Cochise, Embers, Summit Day, Enigmatism, From the Ashes) are as melodically perfect as anything in Mike's canon. Muse especially is just gorgeous. These tracks deliver delightful acoustic melodic backgrounds with very tasteful and expressive lead guitar, occasionally layered even more with additional rhythms and effects. Were these six songs released as an EP cd alone I'd give the thing 4.5 stars.

But then we have the other 4 songs on "Guitars." The worst offender in my book would be "Out of Sight" with its laughably amateur sound in the power chord sections, proving that metal is one style Mike hasn't conquered. I've heard more believable stuff coming from the garage band practices of 13-14 year olds. These heavier riffs and power chords appear on other tracks as well and are completely against the grain of the better material. Rocking the boat is all well and good if the material is solid but in these instances it is not. The other three songs are just OK and sound like tired filler with a few good moments.

But "Guitars" is surely an album that most Oldfield fans will enjoy a good portion of. Others may want to proceed with caution but know that the first 6 songs I mention will deliver the beautiful melodic Oldfield sound in a unique guitar-centric context, some will find the deal worth it and others will not.