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Acknowledged guitar master Phil Keaggy has released many instrumental albums in his career. This particular release is part of a series of ambient music designed to put the listener in a suitably contemplative mood. What it does, it does well. The theme of this particular album is "Still Life." In that vein, it features mostly softer, slower tunes. Because of this, people might be tempted to pass it by. The title, Music to Paint By is somewhat misleading. While indeed you could paint to this music, it seems to be music to meditate upon, in general. The subdued tone colours, the subtle fret work, not at all overpowering or contrived-sounding, and the serene tenor to the overall album make it a masterwork for those quiet times. Because of the nature of the project series, there's a very coherent stylistic unity to the tunes on this disc. It's quite an interesting listen for that reason. It may have been perhaps easier to just record some quiet, unintrusive background or elevatoresque tunage, but there's a sonic unity to much of the disc that makes it flow from end to end. Evidences of this include the "Alegria" track and its reprise, the "Way of a Painter" trilogy at the middle of the disc, and "The Blue Planet," which ties together the themes of the disc. Quite a lovely disc, in the final summary. It is not Keaggy's best work, perhaps, but for quiet music for the contemplative moments, a person could do far worse. Alex Klages 2/24/2000
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