BIG recommendation for "Language of the Flame," the most recent (2003?) instrumental solo acoustic effort from Michael Gulezian. He doesn't seem to be very well known, but certainly deserves to be. This music is in the vein of two of the greatest acoustic guitar artists ever, Michael Hedges, and to a lesser extent Leo Kottke ... except Gulezian really pushes it to the edge much more than his colleagues.
His compositions are incredibly strong, his tone is excellent, the technique is flawless, the playing is passionate, and the guitar sound is huge. I've never heard anything quite like "The Room of Doom" - it's a relentless, percussive, full frontal phrygian mode sonic assault in swirling time metres. The closing track, "Michael Hedges Goes to Heaven," is stunning - backward and forward echo effects layered into a slowly building crescendo of twelve-string slide guitar. Absolutely stunning.
This may be one person with an acoustic steel string guitar, but it's extreme and intense, while also being exquisitely beautiful. I'm probably not doing this disc any justice raving on like this. The old joke (talking about music is like dancing about architecture) never seemed more apt.
The sonic fidelity of the CD is spectacular. There's an entire panel in the liner notes describing in great technical detail a recording studio project that from the beginning adhered to the highest standards of audio fidelity.
Not sure why this guitarist isn't famous. Kaki King seems to be getting a lot of attention these days, but this disc makes her CDs sound tepid and perfunctory, lacking in emotion. Gulezian delivers acoustic-guitar emotional overload.
If you're into Hedges and Kottke, you really need to check out Michael Gulezian. "Language of the Flame" is one of the strongest recordings I've ever heard in the instrumental solo acoustic guitar genre.
