Customer Reviews

This Way

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album is good but not great. ALL the early stuff was beyond great. They are, in fact, my favorite instrumental group. But after Nick Webb passed away, AA became just 'ok.' If you get all their earlier stuff, and want more, then get the post Webb stuff. But not before! The order they came out in was: 1. Red Dust and Spanish Lace. 2. Natural Elements. 3. Blue Chip. 4. Natural Elements. 5. Reference Point. 6. Back on the Case. 7. The New Edge 8. Against the Grain. That was the last great album. On all 8 of these there is not one bad song. More than that, more than half of them are just sensational. A careful, thoughtful weaving of melodies you can't forget, with bridges that take you someplace else. Great, great, great. The group was actually started by Webb and Simon James. The current leader, Carmichael, came along after James left the group. Webb always played the steel string and James...and later Carmichael....played the nylon string guitar. In my opinion, the group was always about Webb. He played lead on the vast majority of songs. Wrote most of them too. After he left, the whole chemistry changed. Not bad stuff, but not the best instrumental group ever, IMHO. There's an interesting compilation of the pre-Carmichael stuff called Early Alchemy. Not bad stuff either and you can hear earlier versions of some of their classic songs. Get these 8 albums. You won't be sorry.

Acoustic Alchemy is, or was based on the foundation of two acoustic guitarists with a simple standard format around their playing. Drums, Bass guitar, and some keys. Contrary to an earlier review, when AA bought their flight to the States from England by winning a talent competition to play aboard American Airlines(also AA...cute~), they did so as Greg Carmichael and the late Nick Webb... not Miles Gilderdale. Nick actually recruited Greg to form AA. Gilderdale did not enter until after 1997's Positive Thinking (which Nick contributed some song-writing to help in the transition that Greg would continue forward and keep AA alive). Nothing against Miles, and not to nit-pic about detail, but one cannot mention Acoustic Alchemy in the same breath without Nick Webb...but the fact is, the music that was truly AA unfortunately died in Nick's absence.
I've loved these guys since I bought the 1987 MCA Sampler LP that also included Larry Carlton and other up and coming instrumentalists. The element that made AA was the 'focus' on the acoustic guitars through the fresh, infectious melodies of Nick and Greg. They fused many styles, but always with a catchy hook and melody. I was fortunate enough to see these guys live in 1993 prior to their release of 'The New Edge'and also met them after the show(as they often met with fans for autographs) & was a definite highlight as far as live shows go. Really nice English lads! ((Get the 'Best Kept Secret' DVD!~and the counterpart CD, 'Arcanum'! ie: a nice moment when they were in Florida for a gig, and visited the launch of the Columbia Space Shuttle, inspiring them to dedicate a song to the awe that is 'Columbia')).
Since Nick passed on however, it appears to me that the formula that created AA was lost and to cover up for it, the acoustics that would grab you, draw you in and not let go, suddenly became mulit-layered, multi-instrumental, I-hate-to-say-typical, pop-Jazz that only leaves me wondering. Sounds good, and I'm glad that Greg's getting recognition through awards and all, but only pales in comparison to the years prior to the wishfully optomistic 'Positive Thinking'. I applaud Greg for continuing the dream, and I certainly wish him the best, but I'm sad to say, AA has left behind it's 'Natural Elements' for a more safe and formulaic environment.

When was the last time you enjoyed every song on a CD? Acoustic Alchemy is about
to change your mind about CD purchases! From beginning to end, every track grabs your
attention and excites one emotion or the other. Well versed, well timed, well written and
very well executed.

In listening to this work of art, it is clear that this troupe had a great time producing this.
Everyone whom I have shared this with has fallen for it, and I suspect - no - predict you will too!!

I gave it 4 out of 5, only because I wanted more! Another 3-4 tracks like these would have been
perfect! I just have to wait for their next compilation!

This Way has been a long time coming. It is fabulous, and has alot of older Alchemy sounds plus great new tunes. Fantastic guest artists. Bought 2 so I don't have to share. We knew it would be great when we heard them play Ernie in concert. Been waiting since then for its release. Thanks to Amazon, received it within 6 day to my front door. You did it again, AA and so did you Amazon.

Ever since "Red Dust and Spanish Lace" and "Reference Point", Acoustic Alchemy has long been dominating my acoustic guitar jazz collection. Greg Carmichael has fine-tuned their sound since Nick Webb's passing but this album seems to have lost their signature sound even more (I think it kinda started from "American/English" already). There's hardly any track to remember, or even impress from the whole CD. The guitar sound is almost like background music overshadowed by other instuments among quite a few tracks. CDs like "The Beautiful Game", "AArt" are great through their reorg, but this one is losing their depth and clearly drifting away from their core style.
Real Acoustic Alchemy, WANTED!!!

The Music touched my Soul. It's Beautiful. I would recommend this CD and all other Acoustic Alchemy CDs.

Hi there!
I thought for sure that this was gonna get all 5 star reviews because this CD sure is one of their best releases. I have about 8 of their CDs and this is as good as anyone. Me and my wife both love it and play it often. It holds repeated play very well ;-)

Sure, they they are stretching out a bit more and maybe less "acoustic" but who cares when they add soundscapes of Metheny caliber and mix it with very clever and haunting melodies.

Love it!!

When I first bought this album (and also went to its tour stop in Phoenix) in 2007, I didn't like it as much as Acoustic Alchemy's other albums. (I've heard every studio album except American/English). But it grew on me, and I now think it's quite good--better than AArt and possibly as good as or better than The Beautiful Game, the first post-Webb album. My favorite tracks are the title track--an eerie, crying piece; Carlos the King, a jazzy piece that is named after Carlos Santana because Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale are fans of his; and the breezy Out of Nowhere. The only bad tracks are "Egg," which the liner notes say resembles British jazz but which I say gives British jazz a bad name, and possibly "Love Is All There Is" which has an irritating beginning.

Acoustic Alchemy is nothing if not experimental. Since the passing of Nick Webb, AA has tried everything with varying degrees of acceptance. AA first added brass with "The Beautiful Game." They continued to look for the proper balance between the original vision of three acoustic guitars and a harder more modern sound. Later releases continued the experiment. In short, AA never looked back, or spent much time trying to recreate the style they used with Nick Webb.

This release is the best result of all the experimenting. The union of acoustic and electronic is seemless and unobtrusive. The brass is better blended and more natural. The styling of the pieces is articulate and compelling. There isn't a bad track on the album.

The CD has some great tunes. Like every smooth jazz CD in my collection I have my favorite tunes and this one is no different. Great to add to your collection.