Review by Steve Elliott of "Acoustic Guitar Review"
The newsletter of The Acoustic Guitar Workshop
Home of acoustic blues tuition online:
http://www.acousticguitarworkshop.com

"Gilbert Isbin Plays Nick Drake"

The album we most enjoyed listening to this month (and we'll be listening to it for a long time to come!) is Gilbert Isbin's homage to Nick Drake, tragic troubador and troubled genius of English fingerstyle who cut just three albums in his career and died of an overdose at the age of 26. That was way back in 1974, yet his songs are timeless and still sound fresh today. His influence is enormous. Listen to John Martyn and you can hear the spirit of Nick Drake, like a will 'o' the wisp in there. Musicians like R.E.M., Robert Smith, Tom Verlaine, Paul Weller and Kate Bush (to mention just a few), all name Drake as a major influence.

The Belgian guitarist, Gilbert Isbin, a master of jazz fingerstyle has gives us wonderfully oblique, subtle and hauntingly beautiful interpretations of 10 of Drake's songs, including such classics as "River Man" and "Way To Blue". Drake was a fan of people like Miles Davis and I am sure he would have approved of these exquisite, jazz-inflected fingerstyle renditions Isbin so deftly gives his songs.

Listen to a streaming Real Audio of Isbin playing "River Man" at:
http://www.acousticguitarworkshop.com/showcase.htm

"Gilbert Isbin Plays Nick Drake" has been rightly hailed by many critics. You can read more reviews of this album at:
http://www.algonet.se/~iguana/DRAKE/isbin.html

Check out Gilbert Isbin's excellent site, which includes lessons and sound clips.

Find Nick Drake tab at http://www.algonet.se/~iguana/DRAKE/NDtabs2.html
However, be warned, he uses strange tunings like BBDGBE and GGDGBD to mention just two. Thankfully there are a few songs in standard tuning like "River Man" and "Time Has Told Me".

Review by Steve Elliott of "Acoustic Guitar Review"
The newsletter of The Acoustic Guitar Workshop
home of acoustic blues tuition online:
http://www.acousticguitarworkshop.com