Customer Reviews

Little Lion

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

 

 

Brooks Williams is one of the finest singer-songwriters around. What is often overlooked, however, is his incredible skill with the guitar. He is a gifted finger-style guitarist. He is also an excellent writer/arranger of instrumental guitar music. Several of the songs on this album are familiar to those who know Brooks Williams' music. Several are new. All the cuts are good. He moves gracefully from up-tempo, African and Brazilian rythms to the more contemplative style of "Wondorous Love", an old American spiritual. The latter song is particularly moving. It captures what is best about Williams' playing, the spirit behind his music. You can teach technique, but what makes a performer an artist is heart and spirit. Clearly Williams' has both, and this album exemplifies that.

Brooks is a master. I've been listening to him ever since the old, old days when I had a radio show and the record company sent me a copy of "Knife Edge." My brother and I, both guitarists, have loved him ever since. We've gone to see him in concert a handful of times, which is why I can say that this album is quite like a private evening with Brooks at the fireside (although the closest I've gotten to that is a nice dinner after one of his shows).

Brooks plays many of the songs in this CD at his shows, and this CD is pretty close to those performances. Sometimes the guitars are multitracked but mostly you just notice his understated guitar wizardry. Make no mistake, the man can play guitar, but he knows there's no point in trying to impress you with stupid fast riffs. When he plays fast notes, you almost always notice it after the fact.

Sonically, it's a real treat. Please, if you haven't got a good pair of headphones, try to listen to it through some. It's very intimate through a good set of cans; you're placed about 6 or 8 feet in front of the guitar (though the mike was almost certainly closer). The production is pretty sparse, though it sounds like it was recorded in a nice room.

The CD is an engaging collection of songs that I'm sure you will enjoy. I won't bother comparing Brooks with other artists, because I feel he's pretty unique. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Not new age drivel, not mindless musak, this is decent acoustic guitar work, melodic, with feeling and perspective. It is also well produced, and is fine as both background or foreground sound. I picked it up to learn a song for my nephew's wedding, however, I enjoy listening to all of it on a regular basis. If you like this kind of music, I recommend it.

The reason I give this album 5 stars is because it's just plain fun to listen to. I had the priviledge of seeing Brooks for the first time at a concert in a small bakery in Seattle... That was the perfect introduction to his music because now I can picture him playing when listening to the cd.

The songs on this album are crisp and light, but complex...and you can tell there's a story behind each one. With songs like "Lizard Logic," you can just sit back and let your mind wander. Like I said, it's just plain fun to listen to.

Amazing technique, an incredible sense of syncopation ... this album is a treat to listen to again and again.

I am not being frivolous when I write that this CD has been my daughter's favorite since birth (she is now 4 months old). She is entirely captivated and charmed by the clean tones and beautiful rhythms far beyond what she can hear in children's music. And her parents love it too, to the degree that we can play it every day to calm her and not get tired or music-in-the-head fatigued. A perfect start on the collection if you have a new child and are looking for repeatable music that won't drive you over the edge.