Guitar Music

Those of you who are Michael Chapdelaine fans will be interested to know, if'n you don't already, that his new CD, Guitar Man, is now available from his site. People who don't know his material can log onto the site and hear partials of most of the cuts.

Guitar Man

There are a handful of acoustic guitarists that I can sit and listen to whole albums and never find a piece I want to skip over -- Chapdelaine, McMeen, Pattis, Juber, like them, and this new one from Michael is most satisfying.

Fifteen tracks, and even though "You're Beautiful" was pounded into the ground, aided by that awful video that the YouTube denizens had a field day with a year or so back, even that cut is new in Chapdelaine's skilled hands. Better without the words ...

The tracks;

You're Beautiful
And I Love Her
Just Breathe
Come Away With Me
Guitar Man
Hit the Road Jack
Sittin' on the Dock of The Bay
Something
Sonny Came Home
Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough
Just Walk Way Rene
When You Say Nothing At All
Last Kiss
Marietta
Gavotte en Rondeau

Just Chapdelaine and his guitars, bare, and for a no-talent clam-hitter like me, fairly amazing just to sit and wish I could live long enough to get half that good ...

Got pop, 60's rock, 50's rock, adult chords, a classical piece and a Spanish one. I particularly like "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" and "Just Walk Away Renee" -- he gets a nasty bass line going with the melody and chords, and it's just not right that man can play like that and make it look so damned easy, not to mention having a high old time.

Bach on a steel string guitar sounds at times like a harpsichord. Classical purists will likely cringe, but it's the bee's knees and the cat's pajamas.

Few years back, Chapdelaine and McMeen had an intensive guitar class. I wish I'd had the chops to justify going to learn from these two.

Michael plays guitars by Kevin Muiderman, and they are cannons. He put the whole thing pretty much together by himself -- played, recorded, mixed, mastered, and the design.
(Somebody else shot the pictures.)

Gets my thumbs up. Have a listen.