As you can tell by the band name, The California Guitar Trio is an acoustic guitar wielding instrumental threesome. They blend such styles as progressive, classical, bluegrass, rock, jazz, and blues to name a few. The result is always stunning and beautiful. Anyways ONWARD TO THE REVIEW.
Whitewater is the perfect music to chill out to. Its beautiful soundscapes and melodies will get you naturally stoned in no time. Such examples are on the first track
The Marsh. It starts out with one of the most relaxing, beautiful acoustic guitar lines I’ve ever heard. The lead playing only adds to the hypnotic effect. And man can these guys can play too. On the track
Led Foot a more rock feeling is presented. It has some great upbeat licks and speedy guitar leads along with a distorted solo which shows of some of the group’s amazing talent. ( I say group because I’m not sure who is the lead players and the rhythm players.) On
Relative Illusion and
Red Iguana they bring some effects into the mix.
Relative Illusion brings in the synth which really gives the song a progressive sound more than anything. And
Red Iguana adds the wah-wah to give it a funk feel (but still the song mainly sounds like a progressive song.)
Atlantis and
Mee-Woo sounds like a watery paradise and
Cantharis is a frantic classical piece with an eastern tinge.
Skyline is a 4 minute epic, showing off some great rhythm and some fast lead work. It’s so catchy it could easily receive air play.
Prelude Circulation BMV 988 is an odd melancholy track with some excellent arpeggio work.
Cosmo Calypso is spacey folk song that sounds similar to Pink Floyd and Hawaiian music mixed together in a blender.
Whitewater sounds like a whitewater trip from hell. Its beginning riff sounds like going down a stream, then the music changes and it sounds like going down a the worst whitewater ever, then seems to fade into what seems like your submersed under water.
Ghost Riders On The Storm is the last song and has a western feel to it (it almost sounds like the ants go marching in.) and then it covers the Doors classic Riders On The Storm making it a fun listen and a great way to end the album.
The album is one of the best instrumental albums in recent history (trust me it’s much better than Steve Vai or Joe Satrani). Its beautiful melodies and excellent guitar work make it a must buy for guitarist and people who like music in general. The large blend of styles makes it an interesting and fun listen. If you don’t have this go out and buy it now. You will not be disappointed.
