Close to the Heart

Peppino D'Agostino is an excellent guitar technician, and this album offers several selections with expressive melodies, dazzling riffs and impressive displays of fingering facility. This is a pleasant, sometimes enchanting release, with such bright and peaceful tunes as "London Skies" and "Samba Marina." The only thing missing from the session is some direction; D'Agostino is content to offer an array of nice solos, but no song provides anything except a light, peaceful mood. Those who like background music will find this very enjoyable; others looking for more grit and animation won't find it.