A guitar overview

by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the January 20, 2995 issue of the North County Times.

A follow-up to last year's "The Six String," Mesa Records' new compilation of guitar music covers so much stylistic ground that it's impossible to pigeon-hole.

It ranges from the electric blues-rock of Scott Henderson's "Hole Diggin'" to the flamenco-influenced "Lolita" by Andy Summers and John Etheridge to the folk-rock of "On the Border" by Al Stewart and Peter White. In between is everything from the acoustic New Age of Willie & Lobo, the hard fusion of Al Di Meola and Richard Smith, and the jazzy, George Benson-influenced fat-body electric guitar of Jeff Golub.

Unifying this collection is the fact that every artist featured is a virtuoso on guitar, regardless of individual style. Each cut is a display if instrumental mastery. The variety of styles serves to exhibit the wide range of possibilities with guitar.

All of the cuts here are taken from albums issued by Mesa. If your'e at all into guitar-based music or if you want an intrudction to the famous Strunz & Farah or Peppino D'Agostino, this compilation is a solid starting point for exploring some of the hottest picking on the planet.