Reviewed by Martin Emerson

Originally released in late 1996 as an album available only through the Phil Keaggy Club, it has now found wider distribution. Keaggy makes good use of electronic technology to enhance the acoustic guitars, particularly his Lexicon Jam Man with which he builds up layers of sound to great effect. Throughout the album there are brief "quotes" from previous Keaggy songs buried within various tracks here. This gives this album a comfortable familiarity, yet it still remains fresh and original. "Sketches" in the title underrates Keaggy's ability to paint pictures with his music. His acoustic compositions are full of "colour", the cascading effects on "Rivulets" make you almost believe you can feel the water. "The Marionette" shows dramatically his ability to paint a rich picture of sound from just one acoustic guitar. Keaggy's rather bluesy version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" brings some fun into the album with its accompanying tuba. As is often the case with Keaggy, the guitar playing is not dramatically showy, but is technically excellent and often outstanding, drawing you into the landscapes he paints with his guitar. The album has some of Keaggy's best compositional work since 'The Master And The Musician'.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.