
The melancholic spirit of a guitarist hovers very audibly behind these four short wonderful works created in the quietude of the global pandemic. Sometimes, metaphorically-speaking, a divine presence even steps forwards to take the instrument by its strings and fretboard and place it in the hands of the the Israeli-born guitarist Tal Yahalom – the whispered beauty of these short songs is that compelling.
It is not every composition created during this existential crisis that has meaning in the manner in which these songs do. The amount of coiled-up stamina, accuracy, controlled power, expert musicianship and plain technical prowess needed to successfully pull it off is beyond the reach of most. Mr Yahalom ignites the strings of his beautifully voiced instrument in a way that brings a soft glimmer to these songs. You won’t, I think, hear more eloquence and feathery beauty in solo guitar works.
Each one of these songs comes with its own whispered atmospherics and conjures imagery that is vivid [“Sad to See” and “Goodbye for Now”] and profound [“Sleepless” and “Solace”]. It’s all very spiritually cathartic.
Track list – 1: Sleepless; 2: Too Sad to See; 3: Goodbye for Now; 4: Solace
Personnel – Tal Yahalom: classical and acoustic guitars
Released – 2021
Label – Independent
Runtime – 10:43