Acoustic Holiday - Svenson - New Release Review

I just received a new release, Acoustic Holiday, from Svenson. This is not a traditional blues recording but an extremely interesting acoustic recording. The release opens with Blues and Tocatta in e-moll. This track has base elements and turnarounds of blues but is really a very classical in nature. It is extremely clean and well executed. Next up is Continental Blues, an acoustic 12 bar instrumental with a traditional droning bass line but with more of a jazz feel and execution. In den Kordilleren is very classically Spanish in styling requiring very crisp execution. Very nice track. Melina has many jazz and folk characteristics. Samba de Gaia featuring Lulo Reinhardt, the grand nephew of the famous Gypsy swing guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT, has much of the flavor of South America as one might expect from the title. This has some particularly flashy guitar work that is really cool to compliment the Latin rhythm. Sixtus is a very strong classical/jazz style track and possibly my favorite on the recording. This was written by drummer Peter Johannesson for his live performances with Herbie Hancock. Just a solitary acoustic guitar well played with beautiful chords and clean articulation. T for Theia finds Svenson playing rhythm and lead guitar at once much like Charlie Hunter does except both on acoustic guitar as opposed to how Hunter accompanies himself on a guitar set up with both guitar and bass strings. Nice swing blues based jazz track. Another take at T for Theia features Dieter Kropp on harmonica. This adds of course a new dimension as well as changing the complexion of the track. The Ballad of Sam Hawkens played on a Fender Dobro, the other songs being played on a Furch d-22 with Cutaway, a Farida M-26 and a Flamenco Guitar from Atalaya Musical, Spain. The track is an exploration of lead work surrounding chorded melody. The final track on this release is The Short Journey of Isis and Re. This is a more experimental track with an exploratory melody. This is an interesting recording and one that a number of listeners could really enjoy.

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