Dec. 9, 2019: "This Week in Fingerstyle!"

"This Week in Fingerstyle" by Daryl Shawn!

December 9, 2019

by Randal L Meek

"www.randalsview.blog"

"The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by Daryl Shawn! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds!

First up is "Serenade" by one of today's finest and most prolific fingerstyle artists! This one is brand new on the Sonder House compilation album "Woodworks Vol. 1" and it is signature Agustin Amigo: sweet, lush, with a melody that sweeps you up and carries you away in arms of pure joy! It just doesn't get any better than what Agustin is producing on a weekly basis. If you want to lower your blood pressure naturally, either get a loving dog or turn on the sounds of Agustin Amigo! Unbelievably delicious!

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is Bill Russell's unique, jazzy version of this Christmas classic that literally attacks this tune from two different angles for an effect that is fascinating and keeps us riveted through the entire five minutes. Truly delightful!

"A Single Star" is the work of the incomparable Collin Hill! Since the first tune of Collin's that I heard a little more than a year ago, I have remained steadfast in my prediction that this young artist will go on to become one of the truly legendary guitarists of our time! Collin's music has a depth and pure sincerity that belies his young age, and thrills me every time I have the chance to hear his music. Certain artists have just a "little bit more" than most everyone else and Collin has bucket loads of that "little bit more" in every tune he tackles! A stunningly great artist with another tremendous tune!

"Travellers Hope" by Ken Smith is balanced and developed with a brilliance in the sound that marks all of Ken's music! Happy, but not too light, the layered guitars shine with intricate picking that holds you tight. Another wonderful addition to Ken's catalog!

"Gathering Leaves" by Tommy Berre! A few of today's fingerstyle artists are so prolific that they leave us scrambling to keep up! Tommy is one of those artists! How is it possible to produce that much truly great music with such regularity and consistency? Lush and just a tad melancholic with that rise and fall that grabs at your heart and pulls you inevitably in like the pull of a large planet in space. Tommy's music creates its own gravitational pull and "Gathering Leaves" is another sweet melody. Enjoy!

"The Unconventional" by Marco Pisani is the lead tune from his new album and Marco pulls out all the stops and lets the music fly! With percussion, harmonics, oscillating frequencies and driving force, Marco nails this one with the hammer down from start to finish! Well done Marco!

"Gossamer" is by Russian artist Zlata Dzardanova who is another of the wonderful gems Daryl found! A fast-picking treble side tune that virtually flies on gossamer wings! There's not a moment left in this tune for a distracted listener, she's got you from beginning to end! Nice!

Mathew Joseph serves up a beautiful cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry"! With a song that has been covered in most every bar, club and coffee house across the globe, Mathew, as always, gives us a new take on a ubiquitous favorite! You can't keep from swaying back and forth to this tasty reggae treat! Love Mathew's work and his musical vision!

"Toward Dusk" by Maneli Jamal is another sweet tune from the Sonder House compilation album "Woodworks Vol. 1". Maneli has a world-class sound that sets him apart and that talent shines and sparkles in this beautiful tune! It just doesn't get any better!

And finally, one of my favorite artists, Casper Esmann, treats us with his brand new timely cover of "Last Christmas"! A little more than a year after discovering Casper, I'm still amazed that every song he creates produces an involuntary smile and a chuckle: he's just that good! Casper is another artist that has a signature sound, and his brilliance in the treble range shines throughout this piece. Go Casper!!!!

And that completes the new top ten for this week! You will now find all the past "This Week in Fingerstyle" music following this week's new ten so you can enjoy all that this wonderful playlist has brought to the world of fingerstyle! Enjoy!

Daryl Shawn, thank you again for making my Monday mornings a very special and exciting part of every week!

And that's it for another "This Week in Fingerstyle" by Daryl Shawn who every week puts together "the most exciting playlist on Spotify"!

Remember to "Follow/Heart/Like" the playlist that Daryl Shawn so painstakingly creates every week!

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