From the early days of Boone Creek with Ricky Skaggs, and as frontman with Pure Prairie League I have always appreciated the talent of Vince Gill.
Since those early days he has earned eighteen Country Music Association Awards and twenty Grammies (the most of any country music artist) and sold in excess of eighteen million albums.
A quote from the Country Music Hall of Fame relates ‘he has built a career characterised by excellence,integrity, and generosity,supplementing his talents as a singer, songwriter and musician with nobility of spirit, artistic vision and quick wit,to become one of his generation’s great contributors to the ongoing vitality of country music”.
In 2006 he won a Grammy for the Best Country album of the year which was a four CD release containing 43 songs and was acclaimed as one of the best records of the year in any genre.
After a lengthy period of touring and writing he has eventually managed to get back into the recording studio and release his latest offering entitled ‘Guitar Slinger’.
Gill says,” I feel that everything’s improving as it should be. I feel like if there is a place I can improve the most,it would be in writing songs,and these songs seem to have grown a notch from those on the last record. There are some beuatful, powerful songs here. There’s fun and tons of guitar playing. The first half of this record is as much about guitar playing as anything else, with long extended and different styles of solos”.
Recorded in his home the CD also contains vocal accompaniment from his wife Amy , daughter Jenny and ten year old Corrina.
It’s Vince Gill at his best albeit that with any release from Gill I seem to offer the same conclusion, however that is probably because with every release you can expect nothing to be inferior.
Not only will this one appeal to his many fans but also to the thousands of muso’s who appreciate his guitar virtuosity.
Twelve tracks of musical magic.
Vince Gill ’Guitar Slinger’ MCA/Decca Records