High Wind Blue Sky
Fallingfoot Records (2021)
I've been a fan of acoustic guitarist David Lindsay since
his initial release, Nightbound (2015). After just three albums (this
being his third) he is now one of my faves in the instrumental guitar genre.
For me, his music is somewhat akin to Robert Linton's (meant as a huge
compliment). Lindsay paints his musical portraits in subdued, muted colors with
a nuanced technique and subdued melodies taking center stage on his gentle soundscapes.
High Wind Blue Sky could be seen as a subtle
evolution of his somber previous works (the above-mentioned Nightbound
and 2018's Last Passing Days of Summer) but it's a minor distinction, at
least to my ears. There may be a slight change in mood, but not to the point
that High Wind Blue Sky departs from this artist's strengths. Perhaps
some of Nightbound's "moodiness" has shifted to a more
"positive" frame of reference, but I still would never label this as
"cheerful" music, although it could certainly be categorized as
contentedly reflective.
As on his first two releases, the album came from the
production team of Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton, recorded at (where else?) Imaginary
Road where Eaton mixed and mastered it as well. Only the first song, the title
track, features Lindsay flying solo. I suppose, in a perfect world, I'd have
preferred one or two more solo offerings, which is meaning no slight to the guest
artists sprinkled throughout the remaining nine other tracks. Lindsay's talent can more than carry a song's
emotional and melodic heft all by itself. Of course, if you have read even just
a few of my reviews of Imaginary Road recordings, you know the esteem I have
for the "usual suspects:" Eugene Friesen on cello, Noah Wilding on
voice, Jill Haley on English horn, Jeff Haynes on percussion, Jeff Oster on
flugelhorn, and Charlie Bisharat on violin, as well as Ackerman (guitar) and
Eaton (bass, piano, bass. Their contributions certainly add perfect
"seasoning" when they are present on any given track.
High Wind Blue Sky, as one might infer from the
title, is a bit warmer and slightly less somber and melancholic as the previous
two Lindsay recordings, but it still skews to the reflective side of the scale
of instrumental music. In other words, I doubt any of the ten tracks will get your
blood pumping or toes tapping, although the latter part of "For
Margot" does ramp things up a tad, especially with Jeff Haynes' percussion
towards the end of the song. However, it's a pleasant interjection of gentle
cheerfulness, so the overall tone of the album is not derailed in any sense. Instead,
it's a mild elevation of mood. "A Summer Breeze," the next song,
returns to a more relaxed motif but filtered through a subtly sunny disposition
of sorts. On "Sea Swells," both Friesen's cello and Haley's English
horn impart the song with a gentle fluidity, and Wilding's vocals also contribute
a dash of siren-call appeal.
Chalk up another solid offering from this relatively new and
up and coming player in the acoustic guitar field. It would be a safe bet that
the future holds more "blue skies" for David Lindsay.
High Wind Blue Sky is available from Apple Music & iTunes,
as a download from Amazon, and can be streamed on Spotify and Weezer.
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