Phil Keaggy
Lights of Madrid
Word Records
2001

Stop me if you've heard this one. In the late 60's, either Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix (I've heard it both ways) was asked, "What's it like being the greatest guitarist in the world?" Their answer? "I don't know--go ask Phil Keaggy." Sure, either of them probably could have been on some sort of hallucinogen when asked the question, but if you've ever heard Phil Keaggy play, you instantly understand. The man is blessed with incredible talents on any guitar he can get his hands on--be it classical, acoustic or electric.

Not only has he continued his feats of fret board fancy for nearly 30 years, he's also dared to record music without any words accompanying it--in other words, an instrumental! His previous instrumental albums, Master and Musician, Wind in the Wheat, Beyond Nature, Acoustic Sketches, and others set a standard for excellence that has yet to be topped in the Christian world, let alone anywhere else.

Phil has followed those previous successes with his latest instrumental, Lights of Madrid. As you might guess, this album is infused with the sounds of Spanish music. Having taken a few years of Spanish in both high school and college, I can assure you that Keaggy does very well, despite admittedly never having been to Spain. For any college students reading this, Lights of Madrid is the perfect music to study to. There are no cheesy Yanni keyboard or meditation bird sounds in the background.

This CD definitely stands on its own, with careful balance between fast-paced and more laid back selections (i.e. between 'Lights of Madrid' and 'Field of Flowers'). Keaggy's touch on the guitar is remarkable, putting many would-be imitators to shame. That certainly wasn't his goal, but man, he's good.

In fact, that is what I enjoy most about this album. Not that his technique isn't flawless (which it is), or that the songs aren't well crafted (which they are), but that God has given Keaggy the ability to deliver messages without uttering a single word. Many times, bands are relegated to having the one token instrumental on their album--that is, if they can avoid power chords for more than 20 bars of a song. In all of Keaggy's albums however, the non-lyrical music has always been top-shelf.

In short, this album is something that anyone who appreciates solid musicianship should think about buying. (Adam L.)