Customer Reviews

Ewan Dobson

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Gentleman is one Amazing Guitarist! I love many different kinds of guitar music. That said I have never heard anybody play quite like Ewan. When your listening to him its hard to believe the explosion of notes and wonderus sound is coming from one man playing one guitar!

I discovered Ewan on Youtube and what a excellent discovery it was! Mr. Dobson explores a number of different kinds of genres here, and they all rock! Every single track is Fabulous! I can't stop listening to his amazing sound! Go listen to a few of his full length tracks on Youtube and I think you'll agree with what I've said here. :-)

Amazing Structure, Great Cresendos. An excellent addition to the Guitar Lover's Library. I look forward to hearing more guitar virtuosity from this young Maestro.

I first heard Ewan Dobson's playing nearly 10 years ago on guitar-related Internet message boards. At the time, I recall him as being exceptionally talented technically but his playing didn't really resonate with me for whatever reason. Ewan dropped off my radar for several years until I recently saw some of his newer videos on YouTube. I'm thrilled to see the artist that he's become. There's nothing more satisfying than a master technician that learns how to apply their technique in an emotionally satisfying way.

Ewan channels the best of bluegrass, classical, video game music, metal and other genres in a fresh and exciting manner.

Unless you're very good at guitar, you probably can't even comprehend the ownage that Ewan lays down here but non-musicians will also enjoy this album that's sure to get your foot tapping and head bobbing.

This is one of only a handful of albums in the last 10 years that I haven't been able to stop listening to since I got it. Ewan Dobson taps into that secret ingredient at the core of great songs like 'Dueling Banjos' and Led Zeppelin's 'Bron-Y-Aur Stomp' and it he takes it to a new level.

Ewan Dobson is a complex, over the top, guitar soloist. I heard his "Time" solo on You Tube and 4 minutes later went to Amazon and bought his disc, both my 8 year old daughter and I have been trying to keep up with each note he puts out ever since. Pocyclips says he's excellent.

I stumbled upon a video of Ewan playing a song from his second album the other night, and ever since I can't get enough of him. He has a mastery of the guitar that is absolutely phenomenal. Listening to some of his songs, it's hard to believe only one man is playing this music when it could easily be two or more instruments playing. There isn't a single song on this album that doesn't capture your attention and blow you away.

Saw this guy play at a bar in Toronto. I was at the back of the bar when he started playing and moved to the front after about 5 minutes of hearing him. Next day, bought his cd and can't stop listening to it. I am into all kinds of music (mostly metal) but this cd has made it to the top of the playlist very quickly.

I added "on this recording" to the end of my title for a reason: Ewan Dobson has a "one in a million" degree of guitar virtuosity, and I hope that he learns to apply his ability to something that more closely resembles "music". Here, in his eagerness to show us his ability, he plays pieces with a machine-gun-like technique that leaves little residue of "art" or "music."

I heard an athlete tell a story about his experience long-jumping in the Olympics. As his time was coming up he was becoming more and more nervous, and began fouling - taking off past the line - on his leaps over and over. Someone suggested to him that rather than try to take off RIGHT at the line that he try jumping from six inches behind the line. Now with his mind freed of the worry of being called for a foul he took off with a safety margin and jumped a foot farther than he ever had before - easily winning the gold medal.

Mr. Dobson would be well-served to apply that lesson to his playing. He needs to back off from playing RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF FASTEST POSSIBLE SPEED to allow room for expression. Guitar virtuosos are like gun-slingers. The up and coming shredders often become so enamored with speed that they develop a tunnel vision that doesn't allow them to pay attention to things like dynamics, tone and other things that add up to "music."

Several pieces are written by the man himself, but the cumulative effect, while technically advanced, are headachingly repetitive and machinelike. Take a listen to the samples. Then compare them to samples from (I'll try to keep it to a short list) Tommy Emmanuel Endless Road, Guy Van Duser American Finger Style Guitar and Andrew York York: Perfect Sky.

Dobson ends the CD with the technically impressive Caprice #5 in A minor written by Paganini for violin. (Take a listen to Itzhak Perlman playing the same piece Paganini: 24 Caprices. Or to Eliot Fisk playing it on guitarPaganini: 24 Caprices arranged for Guitar.) Dobson gets the notes, but his performance is strewn with alternations between inappropriate pauses (on the more difficult passages) and rushes through other portions that show that his goal was "play it as fast as I can" rather than "play it as musically as I can." I suspect that if he had made his attempt (going back to the long jumping analogy) with room to spare taking off from behind the line that the result would be different.