Ben Woolman is a virtusoso fingerstyle guitarist who has no need of overdubs or studio trickery. This is one man who describes his intimate relationship with his acoustic guitar in almost sexual terms: "I love the feeling of the strings under my fingers, the warmth of the wood pressed to my chest and the sound resonating inside the instrument".
Woolman , a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, has established himself as a performer, teacher and writer of note. He played piano, cello and electric bass but took up the acoustic guitar seriously after discovering the music of Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke.
The many moods of this album refers to a range of styles designed to demonstrate the versatility of the instrument and to show off his obvious talents. He explores diverse genres including traditional folk, pop, world music and neo-classical . There is a tribute to old time blues singer songwriter Blind Blake (Blake Says) and a bunch of personal tunes - Sadie's Smile was written for his daughter, A Picture of Romance is for his wife while Me, Myself and You inspired by the responsibility of being a husband and father.
In addition he sets himself the challenge of adapting the orchestral theme for the movie Legends Of The Fall and The Police's Invisible Sun..
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In all this, his artistry is not in doubt so students and aficionados of acoustic guitar music will find much to admire. Yet, as far as a wider audience goes, it has to be said that the much vaunted promises of diversity remain largely unfulfilled. Up And Back is described as a "rootsy jam" , the jazzy Mazurka Dance was written in honour of his Polish ancestry and Wicked Ascent inspired by the thrills of mountain climbing yet none of these offer the kind of dynamic edge the record sorely needs to escape being pigeonholed as New Age. The overriding mood is that of over-controlled elegance.
The end result is a record that is melodic and relaxing, a perfect Sunday morning record to ease you gently into the day but it should and could have been much more.
Ben Woolman's Website
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