My boss seems to like my reviews for instrumentalists; maybe I am doing something right! So here we go. “Heartstrings”, a release from a California instrumental guitarist Ty Oliver, is up and queued. I never heard of him That’s OK! I like newbie’s to the scene. 1st cut “Sunset Sky” is a very impressive solo effort. There is lots of melody with not too much table dancing which can get very boring. The tone of Oliver’s gator has that Satch and Vai influence but with Oliver’s own flavor which makes it interesting. This song flows well and also lets Oliver demonstrate his craft. Nice!

“Chasing Angels” keeps things moving along nicely but the mix has a little too much focus on the guitar. There is also not much from the rhythm section to complement the guitar but overall a nice composition.

“Fade Into You” calms things down a bit with a real nice instrumental ballad that makes a firm statement. That’s pretty hard to achieve from a guitarist these days. The song actually breathes, which is what I think makes an instrumental successful. Oliver seems to understand the concept that less is more when needed, were a lot of folks today don’t get that. Ty Oliver really shows how to move a tune along without choking it, like in the song “Made Of Memories” which is full of catchy melodies and lots of flare. Dude can play!

“Heartstrings” is the title of the CD and the next cut where Ty Oliver gets to show off a bit. The song creates a statement with good dynamics and feel. Remember that word?

Ty Oliver definitely has taste and feel, like in the next tune “When Then was Now” Oliver boils off a bit, but holds things together nicely without letting it get away! Ty Oliver brings in a few friends on the next song “Space Jam” to rip up things for a bit. Matt Cafissi, Neil Rambaldi and Matt Sotelo the guest artists, blow this song into pieces! That’s what making music and having friends that are just as compassionate about music is all about!

Cool Tune and nice work boys!

As much as I hate to say it but if, you know my opinions’ and background. I speak the truth especially when it comes to the backbone of the band. I find this CD very weak in the drum dept. in sound and in performance where it is necessary to have a strong presence that can put the soloist’s hard driven effort over the top. Bass playing is fine but gets lost to many times in the mix.

The rest of the CD has great taste and super playing from a soon to be known guitarist, Ty Oliver! “Heartstrings” is a worthy investment and a good collection starter from an up and coming.

Nice Job!

Rock On!