category: instrumental country / bluegrass / blues

Album review:
"The name Tommy Emmanuel is not nearly as well-known as his playing. As a session picker in the 70s and 80s he lent his nimble fingers to many hit recordings; as a solo artist, starting in the late 80s, his name has become best known in his native Australia, especially to those who've had the opportunity to hear his awe inspiring live shows. His notoriety among the smooth jazz crowd for 1997's "Can't Get Enough" is well deserved, but barely telling of the range to which he applies his playing.

As a master of both the electric and acoustic guitars, Emmanuel's taken the latter route for this disc - originally released in Australia mid-2004 and just now finding U.S. reissue. His study of Chet Atkins can be heard on tunes like "(The Man With the) Green Thumb" and "Chet's Ramble," but he's also capable of hot-picking (both with his fingers and rhythmically with a pick) at a pace that sounds like multiple guitarists playing at once. Most impressively, he plays with both precision and grace, showing off technical virtuosity without sacrificing the music's soul.

Emmanuel is equally comfortable with the hoe-down styled "Tall Fiddler," the jazz-pop of the title track, and a variety of country, blues and pop sounds in between. His cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" opens with his guitar evoking the strings of a harp before settling into the wistful verses, and his cover of Jose Feliciano's "Pegao" ends the album with percussive Flamenco flourishes. Years of solo tours have forged a playing style that is full and complete, with bass runs supporting melodies on the high strings, and strummed rhythms underneath syncopated picking. It's truly hypnotic to hear how much music Emmanuel can get out of a single guitar." -- Redtunictrol (USA)

CD Track Listing

  All compositions by Tommy Emmanuel except where noted

  1. Endless Road (4:32)
  2. Tall Fiddler (2:28)
  3. (The Man with The) Green Thumb (3:20)
  4. Bella Soave (2:22)
  5. Morning Aire (5:56)
  6. Angelina (3:41)
  7. Windy & Warm (J.D.Loudermilk; arr. T.Emmanuel; adap.from version by Chet Atkins) (2:48)
  8. Chet's Ramble (T.Emmanuel / C.Atkins) (2:42)
  9. Son Of A Gun (1:50)
10. Sanitarium Shuffle (3:18)
11. La Visita (3:24)
12. Mona Lisa (Livingston / Evans; arr. T.Emmanuel) (3:53)
13. Christmas Memories (T.Emmanuel) / Wheels (Norman Petty; arr. T.Emmanuel) (3:23)
14. Old Town (3:04)
15. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Arlen / Harburg; arr. T.Emmanuel) (4:21)
16. I Still Can't Say Goodbye (T.Emmmanuel & Elizabeth Watkins: vocals) (Binn / More; arr. T.Emmanuel; adap.from version by Chet Atkins) (3:25)
17. Today Is Mine (T.Emmmanuel: vocals) (Jerry Hubbard; arr. T.Emmanuel; adap.from version by Jerry Reed) (2:44)
18. Struttin' * (Jerry R. Hubbard; arr. T.Emmanuel; adap.from version by Chet Atkins) (2:39)
19. Pegao (live) * (Jose Feliciano; arr. T.Emmanuel) (6:20)

* Bonus tracks

Total timing: 66:19

Label/No: Favored Nations Acoustic 5070-2

Release date: 2004

(The matching book folio for this CD is sold seperately)