These days there are a lot of people pushing the envelope of what can be done on acoustic guitar, but Don Ross has been doing it a while ... more importantly, besides being able to spin mind-boggling walls of sound and texture, he hasn't forgotten what a song is about, and the importance of musicality and a good melody. Check out the quiet joy of "Brooke's Waltz" or the atmospheric heartache of "My Previous Life", and you know he's not just a technique junkie.
This is an instrumental album of just Don and his one guitar. There are no overdubs. There are only other rhythm instruments on 2 songs. This is music done in one take. Little mistakes and half notes make it into the recording, but that's what makes it so human and real. Clearly there are standouts on the album. The opening track "How to Eat an Avalanche" is a fast and furious piece with amazing up and down the fretboard movement. "Tochigi" is a swirling rhythm that hypnotizes. It gets you into a trance and then breaks out into new directions only to come back to the original. It's a very nice ride. Finally, "Never Go to Pernambuco" is a sad and soulful number making you think of loves lost on rainy days.
Easily one of the best fingerstyle guitarists in the world. Highly recommended.
