Today I received my copy of Canadian guitarist, John Gilliat's second independent CD release, 'Peace'.

John is one of those talents who obviously has not forgotten what it's like to be a listener.

Sonically, the ten songs on the album are well balanced with an ear to the production.
The arrangements compliment the compositions and keep the tunes interesting while giving the entire disc a rhythmic anchor and a breezy feel.

John's acoustic melodies while stylistically diverse always catch the ear and he's kept the material down to ten selections (no room here for redundancy or weaker tracks).
It's so nice to be able to put a CD in the player and let 'er rip from start to finish.
'Peace' is strong on thematic structure as well.

John ended his first album,'Freedom' with a solo guitar coda so he decided to pick up where he and his fans left off with a solo introduction to 'Association', the first piece on the new Peace.

The album's title becomes it's central subject on track 5 which John dedicates to the memory of those who lost their live in the 9 eleven tragedy. It's an emotional composition with a joyful rumba fired release.

When I look at a piece of art, I'm one of those who tends to scan outside the point of focus, looking for interesting things in the background and around the edges (which makes me pretty good at 'Where's Waldo').

I treat audio art in much the same fashion, giving more attention to inside tracks and 'b' sides than to title songs or openers. I enjoy trying to pick the 'hit' from a disc but I get an even bigger kick trying to peg the follow-up.

After an initial listening, I have to say I was most taken by track 8, 'Smoke'. Despite what I may have said earlier about excessive wanking, nothing sounds sweeter than a guitar solo over a dark, minor key. On this tune you can sense the player's emotion, concentration and maybe even pain of forcing his fingers to articulate his mind's will. Smoke would be my first pick for airplay.

Of course, my second pick will probably be John's best received. 'Association', the lively rumba which segues off of the album's introduction, sets the tone for the next eight selections and wonderfully showcases the best of his abilities.

Track 4, 'Una Mochila', 'What About Seven' and 'Rotation' are also notable.
'Peace' by John Gilliat is an album which targets listeners rather than other guitar players.

It speaks of a performer's desire to give back to his fans and it shows the experience of a musician who is able to step back from his music and just plain listen.
Once an album has passed that kind of objective scrutiny, the artist can release it to the world with complete peace of mind.

by Cal Koat
(Calcopyright Communications)

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