What’s to say about Jon Gomm? A musician’s musician, a guitarist’s guitarist, his reputation as a master of his instrument is immense. Few would disagree that his universal acclaim is entirely justified. It’s live where he excels, and while a live recording doesn’t afford the listener the pleasure of seeing his technique, this album still provides a masterclass in musicianship. How can one guy make all of those sounds – simultaneously – with just an acoustic guitar?
Ok, so enough raving about his virtuoso skills: what makes Gomm so good, and what makes this album particularly good, is that he’s got some decent tunes.
‘Live in the Acoustic Asylum’ isn’t about the greatest hits or the obvious choices, and Gomm’s comments on the track selection process is illuminating in terms of explaining his objectives: “I picked a list of songs which are either the most requested or are ‘hidden gems’ that I have real love for but don’t often play, or are songs where I wasn’t truly happy with the original album version. I practised the f*** out of them, and spent three days filming. In the end we got performances for 9 songs that I was really happy with.”
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‘Stupid Blues’ is anything but stupid, demonstrating both his jaw-dropping dexterity and intuitive musicality. The mellow country of ‘Gloria’ is laid-back and soulful, showcasing his vocal skills to good effect. Nothing showy or gratuitous, just grounded and heartfelt in its delivery, and the musical accompaniment is similarly restrained: the best guitarists always appreciate that less is more and that the song is always the thing that matters most.
‘What’s Left For You’ nags away delicately: in contrast, ‘Hey Child’ is more atmospheric, its stripped-back rock leanings revealing a different aspect of Gomm’s oeuvre. The hushed, reverent ‘Temporary’ is quietly moving, but it’s the powerful, eight-minute rendition of ‘Weather Machine’ that really stands as the album’s defining track. Wrapping it all up with a version of Radiohead’s ‘High and Dry’ makes or a nice touch.
Jon Gomm Online
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