GUITAR NOIR

The songwriting and performances are up to the usual high standards. So what's the problem? The production/sound quality comes across as........"canned". Don't get me wrong. I love reverb, and I can even take that mid-80's "sheen" that nearly ruined hundreds of otherwise great albums during that period. But this whole album was recorded or mixed or mastered with some kind of system that just makes everything sound sterile and artificial. The drums have no "right in front of you" punch, which for me is really hard to get past. Now that I think of it, many of Hackett's albums employ too much of various "sweetening agents", especially his otherwise magnificent acoustic efforts. I just finally decided to sell this one.