Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

As you will know if you’ve been paying attention to recent reviews in this esteemed publication, Chris Pusey has gained a reputation for being a bit of a guitarist, in several modes, be it amplified or classical. Whilst some have compared him to Phil Keaggy, I for one wouldn’t go quite that far. However, I digress. This five-track CD EP is a marriage of classical music and electric guitar, somewhat reminiscent of John Williams’ classical rock fusion band Sky back in the 1980s but without the panache. The music is on the whole well known: Bach’s “Air In G”, the adagio from Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, the andante from Mozart’s Violin Concerto K211, Pachelbel’s “Canon”, and bits of Handel’s “Messiah” under the working title “Israel’s Hope”, and whilst most of the time the melodies are recognisable, often Chris goes off at a tangent into long improvisations that sound messy and self-indulgent. I’m not convinced that this sort of thing does anything for either music or musician; personally, I’d much prefer the straight versions, but hot axe fans would probably enjoy it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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