Rating: 8/10

Track Amount: 11

Running Time: 36 minutes and 38 seconds

Genre: Instrumental Rock

Personnel: Albert Lee plus guests

Producer: Jim Cox

Recording Location: Various studios in Los Angeles, California, USA

Record Label: Geffen Records

Art Direction: Simon Levy

Best Tracks: Tiger Rag, Fun Ranch Boogie, Country Gentleman

Quick Verdict: An interesting and consistent instrumental Rock Music album

There are guitarists, and then there are guitar gods. Albert Lee is closer to the latter overall. Being one of the most valued yet underrated guitarists still alive today, he became a legend in his own way with his unique mixture of playing, custom Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and the ability to wow guitar greats alike over the decades. This is his most cherished album by fans and fellow contemporaries alike. Presenting a fusion of Southern USA fried guitar-based music, this ought to be a winner upon listening. Let’s jump in and take a listen to this release, and we shall hear where it is at.

1. Flowers Of Edinburgh launches right into it all with some sweet and pleasantly melodic acoustic guitar playing that sounds smooth and melodic. This is a powerful start to the album, in the sense of the gorgeous and accomplished acoustic guitar playing at hand. A very pretty and lovely listen overall that has some timeless and fluid melodies playing along. The second half is a bit more uptempo, but thankfully, this is a great start to the album. Simply lovely and wonderful music to listen to, straight up. Pretty and professionally played.

2. Don’t Let Go begins with some rolling snare drums, handclaps and some very nice mid-position electric guitar work at hand. This launches into a glorious and funky jam at hand that sounds super sweet and killer throughout. There are horns here as well. This is a fantastic listen for those of you who have some unique and offbeat music tastes at hand. The saxophone solos on this tune are absolutely magical and divine throughout. This music is a wonderful instrumental guitar-led jam that sounds seriously good in its very own way. This music is tuneful, timeless and intellectually satisfying. The very Fender Telecaster styled sounds and performance are really magical throughout. The performance, playing and sounds of this instrumental track are all very classy indeed. A very wonderful and timeless listen throughout. Absolutely top, and it fades out nicely.

3. Midnight Special begins with some double bass and harpsichord playing, along with some mandolin as well. This is a pretty tune, in fact, more gorgeous than one would expect. This music and performance then leads into some clean and clear mid-position electric guitar playing, strummed acoustic guitars and simple drumming. This is absolutely monumentally well done, and it sounds fun and fresh throughout. This is not just consistently good music, but very much wonderfully unique in its own way. The guitar soloing is simple yet melodically beautiful throughout. This is followed by a neat mandolin solo, which sounds really cool and gorgeously interesting, along with a harpsichord solo. An adventurous and timeless piece of music that sounds seriously cool at hand. This music is far better than expected, and it sounds enjoyably fresh and great. Albert Lee definitely has some guitar chops as well. Overall, a really stunning and pretty listen throughout. Very, very good.

4. Tiger Rag begins with some expressive Fender Telecaster styled sounding guitar playing and launches into a very lively and uptempo tune at hand. This is indebted to both Country Music and Southern Rock, but it does it in such a wonderful way. There is a mandolin in this tune as well, giving this track freshness and light throughout. This sounds absolutely gorgeous and amazing from start to finish, and the instrumentation and performances, especially by Albert Lee, are simply outstanding. There is an intricate breakdown with guitar shredding and handclaps galore, which sound absolutely awesome. This continues to play extremely well and nicely throughout the second half of the track. An upbeat and joyous piece with some equally cool drumming towards the end. Simply fantastic.

5. Forty Miles Of Bad Road begins with some absolutely shredtastic acoustic guitar playing, and leads into a great instrumental at hand. This has a very Bluesy feel to it all as well. Harpsichord backs up this one, sounding literally fantastic and pretty simultaneously. All in all, a seriously fluid and cool-sounding instrumental that has its beauty and fine art at hand to surprise and please you upon listening. No vocals are present nor needed on this tune; it just sounds really fine and fantastic throughout. The musicianship and playing on this are fantastic. Towards the middle, the harpsichord really gets going nicely, just sounding gorgeously great. For a downtempo Blues Music piece, this literally sounds really cool and fantastic overall. The tune plays on very interestingly and in a smooth fashion. If you have around a spare half an hour and need a seriously fresh instrumental guitar album to listen to, this is a tough one to beat. There is some acoustic guitar soloing towards the end of this piece, which sounds accomplished and fantastic listening overall. All in all, this tune is for the aspiring guitarist who loves guitar gods and their music at hand. A very fantastic listen from start to finish.

6. Fun Ranch Boogie is a sub-three-minute-long piece with some really outstanding Fender Telecaster-style guitar playing and some excellent and extraordinary instrumental Rock Music at hand. If you need an instrumental Rock Music tune to dance along to, this is a great one for you. The playing and artistic expertise on this album is nothing but fantastic. It literally ticks all the right boxes and just sounds simply great. The soloing and musicianship sounds first class on this album. The guitar soloing continues on extremely nicely, and you will be headbanging along to this one or otherwise dancing to it. An absolutely majestic and upbeat tune. Definitely worth a listen if you are a fan of instrumental Rock Music. Seriously good overall. The outro is fantastic.

7. Walkin’ After Midnight begins with some quick drum rolls and launches into a sexy sounding saxophone tune. Guitars quickly enter, and this piece comes nicely alive. It sounds absolutely phenomenally good throughout. Albert Lee not only has great guitar chops, but he can make some original and pretty music with those chops. Piano is present on this one as well. This is the sort of tune you should play to your lover late at night when getting romantic. All in all, this is a seriously fine listen, just like a good bottle of red wine. The soloing throughout is very good, especially Albert Lee’s efforts on guitar in the second half. A key change occurs before this one wraps up. Sensationally good to hear.

8. Schön Rosmarin begins with some clean and fluid electric guitar, double bass playing and sounds really upbeat and beautifully promising overall. This evolves slowly but surely, like lighting up a Cuban cigar to share with your friends on a joyous occasion. Some pretty keyboards enter, and this piece gets more interesting as a result. This is another fresh and unique take on the musical theme of the album, and it sounds excellent and unlike anything else currently available. A seriously loveable and sweet tune with style, passion and flair. Albert Lee deserves praise for his chops and musicianship here. Well done.

9. Country Gentleman begins with some interesting guitar progressions and launches into a melodic and natural sounding pseudo-Country Music instrumental. Albert Lee again plays really brilliantly on this piece, showcasing neither a too melodically slow approach, nor a super fast shred style approach. Instead, he delivers extremely well. The mandolin and piano together are also a nice addition to this instrumental. Again, these short songs are really fantastic and nicely constructed tunes as well. There is a bit of slide guitar thrown into the mix as well. This sounds extremely enjoyable and cool to listen to. Not a dull moment is here on these instrumental tracks. A very decent tune overall, and something worth hearing if you can. Sweet and tasty instrumental music.

10. Monte Nido begins with some soft and melancholy piano, which is deep and moving. This is completely different to what has come before on this album. It does sound really beautiful, all the same. This is a bit of a change from the rest of the album, and it sure sounds beautiful throughout. The music and performance are pretty and quite good. It doesn’t quite fit the rest of the album, but still, this is good for what it all is. The pretty piano playing is a good nod to the spirit of Classical Music, or at least the pieces that were written for piano by the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Albert Lee allowed this piece on this album, which is fair, even if it isn’t the easiest listen out there. The piano section is something that the likes of Coldplay wish they had written, many years before Chris Martin was around in the music scene. This is okay, but it possibly can be skipped as it sounds out of place on this album. Good though, but not exactly what Albert Lee was about and not really something that this album was set out for, or for fans to appreciate. Not too bad, all the same.

11. Oklahoma Stroke begins with some night crickets and cicadas being played, followed by some neat and expertly played drums. Acoustic guitars enter, and this tune sounds rather 1980s when it emerges. Even so, this is another wonderful and stunning instrumental tune at hand, with some unusual instrumentation including pedal steel guitars and bongos. The saxophone is also really cool. It continues on nicely into a Fender Telecaster-sounding jam that is mouthwatering and brilliant in its appeal. The shredding on the guitar sounds very good and indeed proves that one can shred away on such a simple instrument as the Fender Telecaster itself. The second half has some weird 1980s keyboard playing, alongside some simple drumming. The keyboards are incredibly weird and are followed by an intricate drum solo section that is simple but spot on. The guitars and other instrumentation that follow do sound really cool. This music is incredibly sweet and magical, and the outro sounds ridiculously but oddly cool with its pedal steel guitar. A good 1980s-style song at hand. Simply enjoyable. It ends with a fade out of the night sounds from the intro.

This is an instrumental album that is definitely a must-hear for fans of Rock instrumentals. It is also a good example for guitarists to follow in terms of their musical aspirations and own development on the instrument itself. The only flaw of this album is that it does burn out a bit towards the end. However, this is nitpicking in general. This album holds an inspirational and virtuoso energy that is rarely matched in music history. Should you listen to this album? If you like guitar instrumentals, go for it. However, if you love 21st century Pop Music, you may wish to avoid this release.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.