Ted Reece Review of "Song For America" @ iTunes ometimes an unexpected combination of chords or a certain sympathy with the fretboard raises goosebumps, irrespective of the technical ability of the guitarist. The "goosebump index" of Ted Reece's "Song For America" is off the meter, as is his ability. Reece obviously owes a debt of influence to Michael Hedges and Preston Reed as evidenced by his slapstyle on "Temporal Groove" and "Rock the World Gently". But Ted Reece is a versatile player and I hear influences from a multitude of styles. His solo fingerstyle on "Bondy's Pastures" nearly conjures aural images of a bluegrass band featuring fiddlers playing along if I strain my imagination. There are pretty ballads such as "El Paisano" and "Broken Arrow". There's a Kottke-esque rag on slide guitar, "Where Does that Leave Me?". The tune "Celtic Dances" actually sounds to my ear more like a Spanish jazz, fired out with pizzicato flatpicking, and which magically morphs via Reece's wizardry into a boogie blues riff. "Song For America" is solo independent fingerstyle guitar at its best. © Minor 7th Song For America Winfield Temporal Groove Broken Arrow El Paisano Tessa Don't Worry