There’s something very clean and clear about ‘Extraordinary’ the song that opens up Jartse Tuominen’s new album: it’s a clarity which shines through the blistering soloing.
Whilst many won’t have heard his name, Finland’s best guitarist is up there with Al Di Meola and Steve Vai as far as ability is concerned even if his aesthetics are more on the jazzy side of the tracks. That’s not to say we don’t rock out at times, ‘Hybrid Fusion’ has plenty of grunt and ‘Mesa’ paints a nice aural landscape.
Elsewhere ‘Time to Go’ (the single) takes it down to a crawl with some nice weeping guitar a la Clapton; ‘Trouble Shuffle’ adds some nice blues (as contrast) and the album closes strongly with the jazzy ‘Yeah Right’ and the Clapton meets Gary Moore honesty of ‘Farewell’.
If you dig your rock instrumental albums with a hint of Metal, a sniff of the excess of the 70’s and plenty of Jazz in the rock mix then this is one for you.
TRACKLIST
Extraordinary
Hybrid Fusion
Mesa
Time to Go
Simppa Goes to Töysä
Trouble Shuffle
Untold
Nine Lives
Yeah Right
Farewell
