As a guitarist, I've been conscious for a while that there's been a gap in my CD collection under 'Keaggy.' While I'd always heard great things about this man, for some reason it's only now that I own one of his albums. My mistake. 

All that's been said about Mr. Keaggy's talents when it comes to the six-string is true (except for certain urban legends about Jimi Hendrix). Whether playing fingerstyle or strumming, there is a beautiful quality to his guitar playing which takes my breath away at times--some high speed players play so fast that all the passion goes, but Phil knows how to mix some awesome chops with a lot of passion. 

"Sketches" is the right word to describe this album. The songs each give insight into a different area of guitar playing, mixing classical, spanish, folk, blues, and rock influences. I'm occasionally reminded of Bruce Cockburn's acoustic instrumentals--perfectly mellow sounds that are great to relax to.  If you haven't heard Phil yet, this would be a good place to start. 

By James Spencer