Customer Reviews

Guitar for Mortals

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
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My introduction to the music of Adrian Legg came just last month when I purchased Guitars and Other Cathedrals. While Guitar for Mortals is not quite as good as its predecessor, it is nonetheless an impressive follow-up.

The London-bred Legg plays with extraordinary skill and grace. Songs like "Mrs. Jack's Last Stand" and "After the Gig" are hauntingly beautiful, while "Waltzing with Jesus" displays the playful side of Legg's music. This collection opens and closes with the two most uptempo songs on the album: the chugging rhythms of "Coging's Glory" and the Dick Dale-meets-Leo Kottke stylings of "Chicken Little's Last Ride."

For anyone who enjoys the acoustic guitar, this album is a welcome addition. RECOMMENDED

I was driving home from work on Sunday night, when on National Public Radio, Adrian was being interviewed. Then they broke into Mrs. Jack's Last Stand. 20 seconds later I was pulling off the road to listen. I thought it incredible. The next morning I went out and bought all that I could find of his work, and always get his new stuff within a week of issue. I enjoyed the rest of the album as well. This and Mrs. Crowe's Blue Waltz are in my opinion his finest. Nice for a mellow time.

This disc is not as powerful as "Guitars & Other Cathedrals" or the disc that follows it, but it contains some truly beautiful songs. There is a universe of emotion in his playing, but he's at his most powerful when playing slightly sad, hummable melodies ("Mrs. Jack's Last Stand,"A Candle in Notre Dame"). The intricacies in his music are as engrossing as the Shrapnel stuff of the 80s (sorry, I liked the assembly line of masturbatory players they churned out...ummm, some of them). Check out "...Cathedrals" first, though. "The Irish Girl" and "Cloud Stomp" are so exuberant and knowing and unique; they're worth being heard beyond the guitar nerd sector. Local radio station played them once, and I had a friend over whose face sort of warmed up when one of his more bouncy songs came on (if that other reviewer's claim that he's unappreciated in the UK is true, 'tis a damn shame).

Adrian Legg is superb! This recording is a must have in any audio library. A very enjoyable and skilled musician, lends us an hour of his fantastic music.

A very good accoustic guitar offering. It is a little lacking in variety and does not hold your attention all the way through.

LEGG is definetly a master guitarist, but his compositions are not up to the same standards. If you want to hear the benchmark in accoustic guitar virtuosity and creativity, check out BRUCE MATHISKE. He is an australien that might be the best ever on his instrument. I've been a guitar nut for 30 years or so and he is the best I have ever seen ( and I've seen many )

I agree with the other reviews. In general I don't like accoustic music. And if it comes to guitar I prefer more crunchy Satriani, Johnson, Vai or Schenker. But Adrian Legg is the exception. Very subtle but with amazing technique and great feeling for melody he provides us with full blown songs. A real stunning experience for the ears and a very enjoyable listen.

This man blows my mind everytime I listen to his music. The complexity of his compositions and his expertise in playing them is unreal. His guitar seems to be more an extension of his body than an instrument. This is a good CD, however, I found that I had to let it grow on me...and it did.