Fernando’s 2019 release is a sequel to the album before last, ‘Out To Sea’, with the artwork also being very similar indeed. There are fifteen studio songs, where for the majority Fernando provides all the music, although there are a couple of guests here and there, while the last two songs are live versions of songs which appeared on the original album. Overall this is a really well-recorded instrumental album, with guitar front and centre, but the songs seem to follow a similar format throughout, with the lack of spark and imagination one would want from someone who is obviously so gifted. It is not a bad album as such, but it doesn’t contain that element which repays repeated listening. The songs are generally quite short, with few stretching to four minutes, so he tends to keep things choppy and hard and keeps them concise and tight as opposed to letting them breath and stretch out. When he lets himself develop material then it starts to get interesting, but the overall feel is that this is a safe album in many ways, one which will please his fans but probably not gain him many new ones. Some, such as “Theme From ‘Dr Leisure’” should have been left in the studio, as it is just to twee and repetitive to be of interest. I am sure if I knew the original, I would find it to be a marvel, but to me it sounds like cinema advert music which probably isn’t what he was going for. Of his two most recent albums I know which one is going to get far more play, and it isn’t this one.
Rating: 5/10
