Usually when you get a solo guitarist CD that is strictly based on the acoustic guitar, you end up with a new-age or classical piece that usually is creative, but also usually uninteresting over the long run. Rob Levit comes from a jazz background and although much of this music falls in the new-age genre, it is his jazz touches that keep this CD from being just another acoustic guitar album. Touch The Spirit is not very diverse, although it contains 24 tracks. Each track tends to be a basic riff that is built upon and modified to create a quick 1-3 minute piece.
The playing on Touch The Spirit is excellent and the songwriting is passionate. "Drum Wisdom" adds a little percussion (also played by Levit) to the mix, while "Naked Blues" has a little scat line (sung by Levit) that mixes well with his guitar work. "Song For Christopher" with it's fullness and unique changes, and "Child-Like", with it's overt simplicity are two of my favorite tracks on the CD.
Rob Levit is not going to get your feet moving, but if you are looking for solid acoustic guitar work, combined with mood and feeling, Touch The Spirit is as good an entry in this genre as I've listened to lately.
Track Listing
01. Touch the Spirit
02. Sunken Cathedral
03. Radiance
04. The Traveler
05. The Gift of Lilies
06. Disjunction Blues
07. The Atonement
08. The Journey West
09. The Stranger
10. Country-blue
11. Through the Gap
12. Drum Wisdom
13. My Empress Shal Not Weep
14. The Borderland
15. The Bridge
16. Song for Christopher
17. Homecoming
18. A Flash of Joy
19. Naked Blues
20. Forgotten Song
21. The Ancient
22. Child-like
23. Branches
24. The Last Step
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
