Blue Sky, Red Guitars

Chronique

Norwegian composer Erik Wollo returns to the New Age guitar sound that made his GUITAR NOVA such a success, with this follow-up to 2003's more ambient EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE. Some of that album's glistening mystery lingers here (especially on the closing track, "Timeless"), but the guitars are back in full force.

Tracks like "Blue Sky" and "Sedona" are steeped in the vastness of the American Southwest, with gently echoing solos summoning the spirit of Native American flutes. A highlight is "Red Guitars," which creates an aural river of cascading acoustic energy. There's an Asian twist to the Flamenco-style guitar on "Destiny," while Wollo's Norwegian sense of irony comes to the fore in all-acoustic covers of Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" and "In the Hall of Mirrors." Other nice touches include the bouncing percussion of "Moving" and "Rain Tree"'s ominous clouds of swirling guitar arpeggios. Whether for meditation, massage, or deep headphone voyaging, this is an album that gently parts the mist of time to reveal the lovely, endless vistas within.

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