Pure unadulterated guitar pleasure Raphael Groten – Star Lullaby

Pure unadulterated guitar pleasure Raphael Groten – STAR LULLABY:  When you get comments from the master of masters, Will Ackerman, like this… “Raphael’s compositions on Star Lullaby are wonderfully spare of unnecessary ornamentation and concentrate exclusively on the essential”, you know you’ve “made it“… I reviewed his “Journey Home” CD quite some time back, in issue # 160, and loved it… if you SUBSCRIBE to his YouTube channel, you will be able to witness Raphael’s superb performance skills on songs from that earlier CD…

…I didn’t see any “live” recordings from the new release in there, but perhaps if enough of you subscribe, Raphael will add some there (hint! hint!).

Raphael’s new release is a double-CD set… disc 1 has him performing all solo guitar, and the second disc adds high-talent players from Will’s Imaginary Roads studio collective (Michael Manring – bass on guidance, star lullaby and meditation;
Eugene Friesen – cello on compassion and trust; Ron Korb – flute on levity and gratitude; Charlie Bisharat – violin on mindfulness; Jeff Haynes – percussion on levity; Noah Wilding – vocals on star lullaby and the guitar meister himself, Will Ackerman – guitar on trust)… that contrast between solo and accompanied is more pleasing than you might think… on tunes like “Trust“, your ears will be (quite simply) amazed by the shimmering beauty, as were mine!

The joyful dance you witness on “Levity” will bring you both inspiration and hope for times to come… Ron’s flute is absolutely wonderful on the accompanied version, as is Jeff’s percussion… I believe this piece will be getting MAJOR airplay on stations around the globe.

What is ultimately notable in Raphael’s playing is that he uses his unique talents to “enhance” the lives of listeners, and help to heal their spirits through his deeply moving music… that was especially evident to me on the 5:12 tune, “Compassion“… both the solo and accompanied versions will reach down deep inside of your soul, and gift you with the peaceful mind you’ve been seeking for so long… this is my personal favorite of the fourteen songs offered up; if any song should be considered for an award – it is THIS ONE!

I give Raphael and his players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of a (perfect) 5.00 – meaning that he also gets my “PICK” for “most inspiring guitar album”.  Get more information about this fascinating player on Raphael’s website.          Rotcod Zzaj

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