Review: Ewan Dobson III
23 Jan
Ewan Dobson returns with his third installment of video-games-meet-folk-and-shred guitar playing. And this time there seems to be a bit more metal in the mix, which I like. Yes, I’m predictable that way.
It’s especially effective when the evil riffs catch you by surprise, such on My Nightmare and Legend of the Brown Goat. On Ice Winter Rock he breaks it down with a heavy riff which then morphs into a flamenco-inspired passage.
But it’s the centerpiece of the album, Acoustimetallus Plectrus, which really brings it home. This isn’t just a metal song. This is an epic metal song. At almost 8 minutes, it’s definitely quite a ride…as any good metal song should be. But better if you listen to it yourself:
There are also some really interesting covers, such as Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and Kartuli Cekva Operidan Daisi, which seems to be a Georgian folk song.
The album closes with a heartwarming rendition of Nearer My God to Thee the song the band on the Titanic allegedly played as it was sinking.
If there’s one critique I have about Ewan’s music, it’s that on first listen it can sound a bit same-y. But that’s something you could say about a lot of solo guitar albums. And as you get familiar with the songs, the differences start to become more apparent. There’s also a certain energy to Ewan’s playing which is very infectious. Highly recommended.
Before I even read this article, I read the title of the article, I didn’t even need a review to decide I wanted this album. I am not belittling the article in any way I am just saying I’ve delayed purchasing this album for far too long. It is infectious as the writer of this articles states, and that is an understatement. Ewan’s music isn’t just catchy, it clicks with your inner soul that loves good tunes. Ewan’s years of mastery of this instrument are truly paying off. I have been a long time fan of Ewan Dobson’s music. It is quite inspirational, it goes with me when I drive, when I am cleaning my basement, when I am sitting with my friends. We sit and try to break down how Ewan constructs all his music, from the bass lines to the melodies, and it’s truly mind boggling, such a level of playing really had a prerequisite of a lot of practice! So me and my buddies decided we are going to split the cost and buy some of Ewan’s sheet music from the Candy Rat website eventually, and tackle it no matter how hard it will be, we are determined, if Ewan can make it, we can play it, eventually.