Some 20 years after ‘Guitar Noir’, and eight years on from ‘Guitar Noir II’, Mark Doyle is back with his third episode. He eventually decided on a theme of TV and Movie themes related to spies and detectives, but this was after he had already recorded Frank Zappa’s “America Drinks and Goes Home” (arranged as a ballad) and Louis Cole’s “Everytime” but he left them on the album. Doyle is known primarily as a guitarist and strings arranger, and he makes good use of both of those skillsets on this album where he provides guitars, keyboards and bass and is joined by Josh Dekaney (drums and percussion), Ally Brown, Shelby Dems, Jonathan Hwang, and Joe Davoli on violins and Kate LaVerne on cello. It is certainly strange hearing the likes of the Kojak theme played on distorted guitar, but part of me wondered if I was enjoying it as I was “seeing” the theme again in my head, and the same goes for the Man From U.N.C.L.E., a programme I used to watch when I was growing up.

I found the themes I didn’t know were of less interest to me, as while musically they were fine, I had nothing to relate to, and I’m not sure they work as well as Mark thinks unless the original is already known. Interesting, well-played and with strong arrangements, overall this isn’t really for me.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://www.markdoyle.com/