THE SOLO ALBUM

As the title correctly implies, this 1992 album is a solo album in the strongest sense of the term. It features Gordon Giltrap on acoustic guitar - nothing more, nothing less. The album features no less than 19 tracks, including versions of some of Giltrap's most well-known and popular compositions. Perhaps it was the desire to squeeze so many tunes onto a single release that is the reason for almost all of them being very short. The longest track runs to four and a half minutes, but most of them are only between one and three minutes in length. For those who are familiar with the original versions of these pieces, these shorter versions are bound to feel cut off. Most of the intricacies that make Giltrap's playing so interesting is not really present here.

I have no doubt that both a hard core fan and a complete newcomer previously unfamiliar with Gordon Giltrap can enjoy this album to some degree, but it offers very little new for anyone who is already familiar with Giltrap's earlier releases and it is not the best place for the beginner to get to know the artist. Had this been the only source of these tunes, it would be a different matter. But in the context of Giltrap's wider discography, The Solo Album is just not representative of the true nature of these compositions or their creator. It is therefore close to redundant at best and misleading at worst.

Other similar albums by Gordon Giltrap such as Elegy and Troubadour are both better releases. I can therefore give only a single star to The Solo Album.