US guitarist Rene BENTON is, from what I understand from the descriptions I read, an accomplished and versatile performer with a fairly impressive resume regarding what artists he has played with and the number of styles he is accomplished at performing. “Xpressions Too!!! (Shört Storeez)” is his second solo album, and was released in 2016.
Solo albums by guitarists is something I have a mixed attachment to. Some of my favorite albums are in this genre, where the first few by Joe Satriani are high on my list of desert island albums, but other albums I have come across has left me more lukewarm and some rather cold as well. For me it’s first and foremost a case of how much the compositions caters for those without a keen interest in the guitar as a standalone instrument I suspect, and how much of an appeal the material may have beyond those who admire the technical skills of the starring guitarist.
This specific album is somewhere in between I suspect. The compositions showcase Benton’s abilities as a guitarist quite nicely indeed, with flowing solo runs, elegant details and effects alongside the obligatory quirky and technically challenging details a solo guitarist kind of needs to throw into the mix. Dark toned, rough sounding guitar riffs of various kinds offer an effective support, contrasting the light toned and often elegant guitar solo runs fairly well, and while not all the cuts here are as well developed as other in the bass and drums department many of the songs are interesting enough also here. In the context of striking an appeal beyond a strict guitar interested audience.
Apart from the somewhat varied interest rate that is most often the case on albums of this nature, what struck me as a more serious detrimental aspect of this album was the mix and production. The guitars, especially the guitar riffs, are too overpowering, to the point of at least partially drowning out bass and the keyboards also used fairly often to supplement the arrangements. In addition there’s something of a closed in sound to this album throughout, which does give this production an atmosphere that for me at least wasn’t as appealing as it might have been.
Benton is a skilled guitarist and an able composer, and one perfectly capable of creating material that will appeal beyond the range of guitar-interested only listeners. While he doesn’t always manage it here, this may as well be due to the mix and production which, in my view, is sub par in this case. Those with a firm interest in instrumental, metal based guitarist solo albums might want to have a go at this one anyhow, at least as long as those with a taste for such albums doesn’t mind all that much that the mix and production isn’t quite of the quality expected in 2016.
My rating: 65/100
