ave Beegle will be familiar to those who know his electric work with the Colorado-based progressive power trio Fourth Estate. On "A Year Closer", the guitarist unplugs and delivers a rather tasty set of instrumental acoustic tunes.
The overall feel of "A Year Closer" is pleasantly loose and informal. The instrumentation, for the most part, is pretty sparse, with Beegle's guitar typically backed by bass and light percussion. This results in a rather warm and inviting ambiance, and provides a cohesion to eclectic material that ranges from folky stuff to world grooves, jazz, flamenco and classical. But in all cases, Beegle succeeds in imbuing his tunes with strong, memorable melodies and delivering them with a flowing, comfortable groove.
Highlights include "All The King's Men," a hypnotic bit of Indian-flavored rock that's more Zeppelin than Shankar; "Joy", a driving acoustic-rock rendition of Bach's "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring"; and "Shake It But Don't Break It ('Cause If You Bruise It I Can't Use It)," a rousing bit of flamenco music that will have you shouting ole.
ave Beegle will be familiar to those who know his electric work with the Colorado-based progressive power trio Fourth Estate. On "A Year Closer", the guitarist unplugs and delivers a rather tasty set of instrumental acoustic tunes.