GUITAR NOIR

After some years off a little blunder ("Till We Have Faces") and a short foray into the classical realm ("Momentum"), HACKETT came back with a wonderful album that contains some highly polished material. Perhaps it's a little over produced (a better balance was attained on "Darktown") and that is why I have only given it 3 stars; but it does contain some typical HACKETT rockers with soaring guitars such as "In the Heart of the City" and "Little America". There are also some beautiful instrumentals like "Sierra Quemada" and "Walking Away From Rainbows" (I always think of this one as "Horizons" with a fuller texture), as well as some moving ballads such as "There Are Many Sides to the Night" and "Dark as the Grave". As usual, STEVE's guitar never really steels the show; rather, he incorporates just the right amount of solo play, so as to sustain an overall symphonic feel to his material. The musicianship on "Guitar Noir" top notch and the lyrics interesting, not to mention quite amusing at times (check the ones on "Little America" for a laugh).