The Escapist

On previous releases, Minneapolis-based guitarist David Harland explored singer-songwriter territory alongside instrumentals but this is an entire album of solo acoustic guitar. Fans of the music that came out of Windham Hill Records will relish The Escapist. Making full use of tapping, harmonics and unusual tunings, this exquisite album would have fit perfectly in the Windham Hill catalogue, alongside the music of William Ackerman, Michael Hedges and Alex de Grassi. The cover art features a Magritte-like image of a birdcage/head with the cage door ajar, suggesting worries have flown away. Harland has succeeded in creating a meditative record to help us escape the stresses of modern life. There are occasional sympathetic touches of cello and violin from Cierra Alise Hill and ambient electric guitar from Matt Patrick, who also deserves an honourable mention as the producer, for capturing the pristine sound of this alluring album.