AL DI MEOLA — All Your Life (review)

AL DI MEOLA — All Your Life album cover Album · 2013 · Post-Fusion Contemporary Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Matti P
Doing a tribute album of The Beatles songs had been a long-time dream for Al Di Meola, one of the most respected fusion guitarists all time. "It simply was a search to find a way to combine my world (whatever that is) into theirs, as I set out to do when I recorded the solo guitar CD of Piazzolla in 2006", Di Meola writes in his liner notes in which he praises the personal and universal importance of The Beatles, his excitement to work in the Abbey Road studios and his haphazard meeting with Paul McCartney in Hampton in May 2012.

This is a solo acoustic guitar work. Some tunes also feature his co-producer Hernan Romero on hand claps and chaca rhythm. The selection of 14 Lennon/McCartney songs -- no George Harrison compositions included -- is in my opinion fairly nice if not truly ideal. The early catchy hits are mostly absent. Sadly there aren't much from the two final Beatles albums either, only 'Because' from Abbey Road. The selection is emphasized on the c. 1965-67 era; for example four pieces from Sgt. Pepper. The Beatles originals such as 'A Day in the Life' and 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' are so rich sonically that a solo guitar interpretation may feel rather inferior in comparison.

That's the price to pay when dealing with such well-known and heavily covered stuff. Artistically, this is one the most succesful of the few Beatles cover albums I've listened to. Al Di Meola's skills on the acoustic guitar are awesome, and his arrangements are inspired and as rich as pieces for a solo instrument can possibly be. If I felt somewhat disappointed by the opening track 'In My Life' featuring the hand clapping, during the 54-minute album I began to enjoy the music more and more.

A special mention for 'Eleanor Rigby' which sounds like there was a string section. Elsewhere it's often the ripped-down approach that brings up the song's melodic essence in a fresh way, for example the closing piece 'She's Leaving Home'.

Despite the above mentioned risk of sounding inferior to the original songs, it's a certainty that knowing the compositions helps me to enjoy this album. I mean, a regular solo guitar album of unfamiliar compositions would probably tire me on the long run.
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