The eleven track CD, "Journey of Life," was written, produced, and recorded by guitarist Dean McGinnes (with the exception of one co-written selection), and it provides an excellent demonstration of some early guitar work performed by a beginning guitarist and composer. Though presented as a commercial product, from a musical perspective it's really just a well-packaged demo, and a decent demo to be sure.

Starting to learn guitar at the age of seventeen and producing his first CD only three years later, Dean McGinnes has obviously put some woodshed time into building his proficiency in various guitar styles and techniques, as well as the developing composition skills relating to harmony. He also launched a full website for marketing and promotion of his release at deanmcginnes.com.

We weren't wowed by the level of composition or guitar work on the CD, but it was encouraging to see the progress of younger, non-tenure musicians dedicating their life and soul to their instrument and, most of all, being creative. Dean McGinnes demonstrates an intermediate level of skill in his writing/playing ability and would receive higher marks on this performance if it were at a recital for learning musicians, but to compare this CD to the commercial releases of other instrumental artists, there is a bit of work to be done.

McGinnes displays some excellent use of guitar tone, and in some of his selections one can easily identify influences such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. Though important to have great sound quality and tone, it is equally important to develop your own style and tonal characteristics that may be identified by the listening public - McGinnes hasn't found his own voice yet.

Another noticeable concern is the consistent lack of solid timekeeping. Throughout the CD, there is a constant push and pull of the tempo, and not all tracks are in the pocket. He needs to spend more time rehearsing this material with a live band, and finding a solid bass player would be a great step up - his own bass parts throughout the CD are undeveloped and are hardly more than root note support for the compositions. Dean performs some great licks, arpeggios, and harmonies, but from a compositional standpoint, some of the selections seemed too repetitive and lacked meaning in their structure.

All in all, we enjoy having the opportunity to listen to and review new talent; especially those that are at the beginning stages of their career. Dean McGinnes displays some very strong ingredients for becoming a great guitarist, composer and musician. Further development and refinement of his skills will take him to the next level and beyond. His self-professed absence of lessons after three years should be reconsidered. Even the most talented rock and jazz musicians continue to take lessons throughout their lifetime. We look forward to hearing more of Dean's work in the future. Keep on rockin', Dean!